Speaking Honestly with Sick and Dying Children and Adolescents: Unlocking the Silence

Talking openly with sick and dying children about their illness is always difficult and often painful. Dietrich Niethammer, a prominent paediatric oncologist, explains why it is so important to speak frankly and respectfully to young patients about their illness. At the heart of this book is the question of how children and adolescents think about death and dying. Dr Niethammer carefully analyses the literature on the subject, arguing that children and young people are not only able to talk about their illness, but also benefit from doing so. Baffled as to why it has taken so long for doctors to accept truth-telling in their care of dying children, Niethammer traces the development of the concept from the work of Sigmund Freud in the early twentieth century to the discomfort it continues to cause today. Severely ill children and adolescents think about the consequences of their illness, whether adults talk to them or not. When adults remain silent, they do children a disservice. Dr Niethammer encourages doctors to practise not in silence and denial, but in open communication with sick children, giving children the opportunity to express their fears and anxieties and deal with their illness on their own terms. Dr Niethammer's fascinating personal experiences, combined with the latest research, make this a compassionate and invaluable resource for doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, parents - for all who care for sick and dying children and young people.