Resumo

DUARTE-MOTE, J  e  SANCHEZ-ROJAS, G. The lie, a moral claim. How lying is useful in a terminally ill patient. Med. interna Méx. [online]. 2017, vol.33, n.5, pp.668-674. ISSN 0186-4866.  https://doi.org/10.24245/mim.v33i5.1494.

The lie is considered a moral flaw, always has a negative connotation. Nevertheless its use is very extended from the biological point of view as mechanism of survival and in the human being, even from the point of view of social integration. Self-deception, considered a supreme manifestation of the human use of lies, is closely related to the generation of optimism and hope, people with problems to integrate self-deception have more frequently pathological alterations in mood, especially depression. The advantages and disadvantages of the use of lying to promote self-deception in patients with terminal illness are analyzed from some ethical-philosophical points of view.

Palavras-chave : lie; terminal patients.