White Noise and Questions Regarding Death Anxiety, Forgiveness, and Patient Self-disclosure

Abstract

This commentary examines three critical therapeutic questions that arise for all patients, particularly for patients with psychiatric illness. These questions involve fearing death, forgiving oneself for past acts, and disclosing medical and psychiatric conditions to others. These questions, which can be critical to providing optimal medical care in some contexts, are prompted by the movie White Noise, as it might provoke questions regarding death and self-disclosure in patients. Specific responses that might be helpful to patients are offered.

Keywords: Death anxiety; White Noise; cues; fear of death; forgiving oneself; meaning; mental illness; positive psychology; self-disclosing; terror management theory (TMT).