Grief
Bereavemebt or grief is a reaction to a major loss. It is most often an unhappy and painful emotion.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Grief may be triggered by the death of a loved one. People also can experience grief if they have an illness for which there is no cure, or a chronic condition that affects their quality of life. The end of a significant relationship may also cause a grieving process.
Everyone feels grief in their own way. However, there are common stages to the process of mourning. It starts with recognizing a loss and continues until a person eventually accepts that loss. People’s responses to grief will be different, depending on the circumstances of the death.
For example, if the person who died had a chronic illness, the death may have been expected. The end of the person’s suffering might even have come as a relief. If the death was accidental or violent, coming to a stage of acceptance might take longer.
Symptoms
There can be five stages of grief. These reactions might not occur in a specific order, and can (at times) occur together. Not everyone experiences all of these emotions:
- Denial, disbelief, numbness
- Anger, blaming others
- Bargaining (for instance “If I am cured of this cancer, I will never smoke again.”)
- Depressed mood, sadness, and crying
- Acceptance, coming to terms
People who are grieving may have crying spells, some trouble sleeping, and lack of productivity at work.
Signs and tests
The doctor will perform a physical exam and ask questions about your symptoms, including sleep and appetite. Symptoms that last for a while may lead to clinical depression.
Treatment
Family and friends can offer emotional support during the grieving process. Sometimes outside factors can affect the normal grieving process, and people might need help from:
- Clergy
- Mental health specialists
- Self-help groups
- Social workers
The acute phase of grief usually lasts up to 2 months. Some milder symptoms may last for a year or longer. Psychological counseling may help a person who is unable to face the loss (absent grief reaction), or who has depression with grieving.
Support Groups
You can help the stress of grieving by joining a support group, where members share common experiences and problems.
See also:
Expectations (prognosis)
It may take a year or longer to overcome strong feelings of grief, and to accept the loss.
Complications
Grief and loss can affect your overall health. It can lead to depression or excessive alcohol or drug use. Grief that lasts for more than two months and is severe enough to interfere with daily life may be a sign of more serious illness, such as major depression. Medication may be helpful.
Calling your health care provider
Call your health care provider if:
- You can’t deal with grief
- You are using excessive amounts of drugs or alcohol
- You become very depressed
- You have prolonged depression that interferes with your daily life
Prevention
Grief should not be prevented because it is a healthy response to loss. Instead, it should be respected. Those who are grieving should have support to help them through the process.
References
- Powell AD. Grief, bereavement, and adjustment disorders. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 38.
- Kutner JS, Kilbourn KM. Bereavement: Addressing challenges faced by advanced cancer patients, their caregivers, and their physicians. Prim Care. 2009;36:825-844.
THE ABOVE ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED BY: PubMed Health
Palliative Care
Palliative care is the medical specialty focused on relief of the pain, stress and other debilitating symptoms of serious illness such as cancer. The goal is to relieve suffering and provide the best possible quality of life for patients and their families.
Palliative care relieves symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping. It helps patients gain the strength to carry on with daily life, it improves their ability to tolerate medical treatments and helps them better understand their choices for care. Overall, palliative care offers patients and their families the best possible quality of life during their illness. In fact, the American Medical Association (AMA) released a study confirming that palliative care makes an enormous difference in cancer patients’ quality of life.
Each hospice has a team of experts, including palliative care doctors, nurses and social workers. Chaplains, massage therapists, pharmacists, nutritionists, volunteers and others are also be part of the team.
Palliative care in addition to other services, result in a much better quality of life during their time remaining. Wouldn’t you want the same for your loved one?
Taken from Palliativecare.net
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