Why do patients lie to doctors?

General
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Why are people lying to health professionals?

  • Fear of judgment
  • Embarrassment
  • Denial or self-protection
  • Mistrust or lack of rapport
  • To please the doctor

Have you ever experienced this from a patient? How do we create an environment grounded in trust, so patients do not feel the need to hide things from us and vice versa?

The most common lies that Iā€™ve come across are - ā€œ yes I brush twice dailyā€ while Iā€™m staring at a mouth full of calculus or theyā€™ll deny that they donā€™t chew tobacco when the stains are very evident!

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As far as I have seen my patients, I feel sometimes itā€™s fear, shame, or not wanting to be judged. Some worry about being scolded, others just want to seem ā€œnormal.ā€ As doctors, the more we listen without reacting, the safer theyā€™ll feel to tell us the truth.

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Thatā€™s so true. Whatā€™s even more concerning is when patients hide their medical history, especially conditions like diabetes or hypertension, just to get a tooth removed quickly. They donā€™t realize that these arenā€™t minor details; they can lead to serious postoperative complications. A small omission can put their life at risk. Honesty isnā€™t just helpful, itā€™s crucial for safe dental care.

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Fear of getting judged make them to do so. And itā€™s quite common in medical environment.

For that Healthcare professionals must be skilled enough to deal with such situations and make them comfortable. And one should have ability to go in depth to know the truth.

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Its true we do hide something when the doctor is new( someone whom we are not familiar or giving the look of judgmental

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Yes.. patients sometimes feel embarrassed :flushed_face: or for the lack of trustā€¦

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Fear of judgment and embarrassment

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Fear of judgment is a big factor

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Been there when the mouth says one thing and the stains another!

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Yes, they may feel like they will be judged, or out of shyness.
But you should never lie to your doctor it is a very bad habit.

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Patient always walks into the clinic with a perspective and with a strong personaā€¦ Also with the fear of judgement and sometimes embarrassment

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Yes, Agreed. I have encountered this a lot of times.If the patients give us more clarity about their history including habits, previous treatment, we can provide better treatment.

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As a healthcare professional, we need to make them comfortable around us and make them aware of further situations.

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