I often wonder if patients who are sick for a long period of time resign to the fact that they will be patients forever and less inclined to fight to get better.  I am a family member of a bone marrow transplant patient who has been sick for almost all of the 15 months after his tranplant.

This family member has lost 30 percent of his body weight, sleeps most of the day and says he can't eat due to pain and fatigue.  How can you tell the difference between inability or unwillingness to eat?

The lack of nutrition is probably making the pain and fatigue worse.

This patients is reluctant to push for better medical advice.  This sounds like depression but what can be done to get such a patient to get help?