BRASIL, Samuel Fernando; BARBOZA, Juliana Eschiavoni; SALLES, Rodrigo Jorge    MEDEIROS, Danuta. Death, suffering and representation: a psychodynamic analysis about intensivists. []. , 24, 2, pp.3-16. ISSN 1516-0858.

This study aimed to analyze the defensive resources of intensive care professionals and how they deal with death and suffering of their patients. The study included 10 Oncology intensive care workers from a private hospital in the city of São Paulo/SP. Participants answered a semistructured interview that was analyzed using content analysis, and responded to the Desiderative Questionnaire (DQ), as proposed by Nijamkin and Braude (2000). It was found that intensive care workers have difficulties getting in touch with the conflicts that the situations of symbolic death in the DQ bring forth, adopting defensive mechanisms such as repression and denial. They also showed difficulties regarding the identification with the suffering of the patients, unpreparedness, and non-acceptance of death.

: intensive care unit; oncology; defense mechanisms; projective techniques.

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