Do patients lie to their doctors?
The answer is yes — here's what they lie about.
Patients should be at ease talking about sensitive subjects to their doctors, but a new report shows otherwise. TermLife2Go, a company that helps consumers buy life insurance, asked 500 people if they lied to their doctor.
Here’s what they said.
23 percent said, yes, they had lied to their doctor
46 percent lied about smoking
43 percent lied about exercise habits
37 percent lied about alcohol consumption. More men lied about this topic than women (50 percent versus 32 percent).
29 percent lied about sexual partners. Women were more likely to lie about this topic than men (33 percent versus 21 percent).
Why do people lie to their doctor? Three out of four say it’s to avoid embarrassment. But there are other reasons.
- 31 percent say they lie to avoid discrimination
- 22 percent say they don’t think their doctor will take them seriously if they tell the truth
- One man lied about alcohol consumption to avoid a lecture
- One young woman lied about her sexual activity because her mother was in the room
