The Spouse of a Patient Recently Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer

The spouse of a patient recently diagnosed with terminal cancer has voiced concerns about her husband's continual denial of his disease.What should the nurse consider when planning a response to this concern?

A) It may be helpful for the patient's emotional state at this time to be in a state of denial.
B) Denial is abnormal and the patient needs to have a consultation with a therapist.
C) It will be helpful to plan an intervention to force the patient to acknowledge his disease.
D) There is a limited amount of time left in the patient's life so the denial must be rapidly worked through.