Bereavement Lecture Powerpoint Flashcards
__% of people grieve without need for professional intervention
90%
Bereavement
Reaction to loss of a close relationship often thru mourning (psychological process of undoing bonds to the deceased)
Anticipatory grief
Grieving that begins when an individual is made aware of impending death, thought to allow person to prepare psychologically for death and ease adaptation after death
Normal reaction to loss
- despair
- agitation
- anger at person/god/caregivers
- guilt
Usually becomes less intense over time around 6 months but variable depending on circumstance (young vs old, suicide vs illness)
5 stages of grief
Denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance
Risk factors for complicated or abnormal bereavement (4)
- poor social support
- unanticipated death or lack of preparation
- history of psychiatric problems
- dependent lifestyle with the deceased
Symptoms of complicated grief
Persistence for at least 6 months of disruptive emotional reactions including yearning, difficulty moving on, numbness, bitterness, etc.
Why is complicated grief a concern? (3)
- Higher rates of morbidity/mortality
- higher healthcare utilization
- impaired immune function and substance use
Follow up recommendations for complicated grief (5)
- send condolences
- encourage them to maintain regular lifestyle activities
- encourage crying
- short term counseling/support group
- short term prescription anti anxiety
Grief over the lifespan
1) Infants and toddlers - don’t understand time or death but do feel absence of caretakers and can sense distress if routine is broken
2) preeschoolers - no understanding of death, may associate grief with something they’ve done
3) 7-12 understand death as permanent but can’t understand spiritual issues
4) adolescents understand death and may have spiritual or forward projection worries
