Proposed Signs for Family Overreporting of Functioning in GBM (When Consistently Present)
| 1. Frequent justification of improvement on minor physical findings that appears to be overemphasized or does not match other treatment reports |
| 2. Pervasive and overemphasized belief that person is special (e.g., a fighter), especially after significant documented decline |
| 3. Overreliance on spiritual beliefs for a cure, not just comfort for circumstances |
| 4. Unwavering focused on anecdotal reports of a cure and how the patient is similar to those reports |
| 5. Lack of acknowledgement of the meaning of words such as “palliative” (e.g., doctor's recommendation was potentially curative not just palliative) |
| 6. Lack of rational explanation for not applying similar past life experience to current situation (e.g., uncle's death from brain tumor does not apply) |
| 7. Repetitive overreliance on credentials of treating doctors (e.g., stating, “We got the best physicians, therefore he will get better [or was functioning better].”) |
| 8. Perceived extreme and consistent minimization of deficits, even after education to the contrary (e.g., stating, “He was always bad with names” in a person with aphasia) |