Professional paper

CLINICAL EMPATHY AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Romana Barbarić ; Clinic for Psychiatry, University Clinical Hospital Mostar, Mihajla Viševića Humskog 39, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina & University of Mostar, Trg hrvatskih velikana 1, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina *
Dragan Babić ; Clinic for Psychiatry, University Clinical Hospital Mostar, Mihajla Viševića Humskog 39, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina & University of Mostar, Trg hrvatskih velikana 1, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Empathy is the ability to feel and understand lived experiences of someone else and an invisible force that connects people, which is extremely important for individual and collective mental health, for cooperation, therapeutic communication and the success of therapy. Empathy has shown to be a significant psychological function of healthy people, as it helps them preserve their health and enjoy life more. People with a higher level of empathy are less inclined to view people with psychological problems as aggressive and hostile. Deficit of empathy often occurs in people who have been diagnosed with a personality disorder as well as a psychotic disorder. Empathy in interpersonal relationships in general, and especially in the doctor-patient relationship, is not a given in itself, but the good news is that it can be developed and shaped through the art and practice of a learning organization. Clinical empathy is the key in the interaction and the cornerstone in shaping the therapeutic and ethical doctor-patient relationship and helps to build the patient's respect necessary for better health success.
In recent decades, "official medicine and psychiatry" has increasingly gained its place in the treatment of people with mental disorders due to the growing interest of the public in complementary treatment methods as well as numerous evidences of their therapeutic effectiveness with the support of the World Health Organization. Quite often, patients ask us for some natural remedy or some other form of complementary medicine. Our task is to know and prescribe the methods of complementary medicine recognized and advised by the World Health Organization in addition to the official methods of treatment and thus help our patients. Through our respect, understanding and support of our patients, we increase our empathetic relationship, which certainly contributes to the effectiveness of treatment. The aim of this paper is to clarify the connection between clinical empathy and complementary medicine.

Keywords

clinical empathy; complementary medicine

Hrčak ID:

347500

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/347500

Publication date:

29.5.2026.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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