Partners in Dying
HYMAN L. MUSLIN M.D.1,
SUSAN P. LEVINE M.D.2, , and
HAROLD LEVINE M.D.3
1 Professor and Acting Head, Department of Psychiatry, Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Ill. 60680
2 Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Elective Undergraduate Programs, Department of Psychiatry, Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Ill. 60680
3 Professor of Medicine and Chief of Pulmonary Diseases, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University, Hines, Ill.
The authors describe the clinical course toward death of two patients who, with their physician, became "partners in dying." The emphasis is on the equilibrium that these patients established through an appreciation of their special needs, including the object relationships required. The authors maintain that the management of each dying patient requires a careful assessment of the specific object relationships that will promote equilibrium.
