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Learn about the normal duration of grief after losing a loved one, according to a DOH psychiatrist, and find expert advice on coping, self-care, and emotional expression during the grieving process.
Learn more about light therapy, including what it is and how it can help those with seasonal affective disorder.
When a child dies, whatever you say will invariably annoy the hell out of us. It’s not you; it’s us.
“I wanted to be a heap in the corner – but there was too much to do. I mourn my husband. I mourn my daughter, an angel put here to teach us something,” says Cathy Sarkis. This month marks the one-year anniversary of her daughter’s death and December will mark the first anniversary of her […]
On the surface, everything looks perfect. Inside, it’s a constant fight to stay afloat.
Summer sadness, autumn blues, winter woes — whatever you call them, the changing seasons can have a profound impact on our emotions.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was at dinner with two friends, and one shared the terrible news that her beloved dog had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer
On May 21, 2018, my best friend died. His name was Adam Clack, and we were 14 years old. We were set to graduate from eighth grade four days later.
CBT has long been considered a gold-standard treatment for depression—but does it still hold up? A new review of over 60 recent trials suggests its effects remain strong.
How to cope with losing a sense of normalcy in your life. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
End-of-life care includes plenty of laughter, says hospice nurse Kath Murray.
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Seasonal affective disorder, aka SAD, isn’t something you just have to suffer through.
Introduction: Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients with serious illnesses. In this type of care, spirituality is placed alongside other dimensions: physical, psychological, and social. The end of life brings confrontation with dilemmas such as "none of this makes sense" or "was it worth it?" The acceptance or rejection of the journey presents spirituality as a dimension that accompanies the person in their existence. Interventions that allow for a review of life help facilitate reflection on regrets, unresolved issues, and an understanding of the legacy that generates comfort and dignity. The objective of this research was to evaluate the evolution of hope and acceptance among patients visited by the Palliative Care Community Support Team from Baixo Mondego (PCCST-BM) in Portugal.
Materials and methods: A prospective, controlled, non-blind, longitudinal research study with an intervention, featuring pre- and post-evaluation. The intervention group (IG) corresponded to patients referred to the PCCST-BM, and the control group (CG) corresponded to selected users registered at the Nautilus Family Health Unit (FHU-N) or the Coimbra Centro Family Health Unit (FHU-CC), with severe pathology, comorbidities, and a reserved prognosis. PCCST-BM patients could not have had previous contact with palliative care or have been the subject of prior home visits. In the IG, the questionnaire was administered twice: during the first home visit and the second time after 14 days. In the CG, the questionnaire was administered only once. The questionnaire included sociodemographic and clinical data, the Herth Hope Index scale - Portuguese version (HHI-PT), and open-ended questions. Descriptive and inferential quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed.
Results: Each group consisted of 10 patients, for a total of 20. The results showed a significant improvement in hope among patients in the IG (p = 0.03). The average hope between home visits also increased, reaching values similar to the CG on the second visit, despite functional decline. In the qualitative assessment, patients in the IG reported greater acceptance and positive feelings after fourteen days.
Discussion and conclusion: The follow-up carried out by the team showed improvement in hope and acceptance, with results similar to those of a specific home-based intervention study conducted in Portugal, suggesting that this approach is helpful in this context. The small sample size due to the exclusion of patients with clinical deterioration and the variable number of home visits were relevant biases. The existence of only a few studies in this area highlights the importance of further research with larger samples and other tools.
One of the most effective ways for people to manage grief is to confront it head on, rather than avoiding their difficult feelings, according to Harvard Chan School’s Christy Denckla.
A comprehensive meta-analysis in depression and mortality, led by the Department of Psychiatry at the School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has found that people with depression have twice the risk of death than those without depression, and a nearly 10-fold increased risk of suicide. However, timely and effective treatment can significantly reduce these risks and improve survival rates.
Learn how to effectively talk to children about death and support them in their grief journey, ensuring they feel safe and understood during tough times.
Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability globally and is often accompanied by emotional and cognitive impairments tha
When organizations betray trust, mid-level leaders experience ambiguous grief—mourning what's lost while still showing up. Here's how grief-informed leadership can help.
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Depression can be considered a form of unasked-for wisdom.
More than a decade after losing her mom to cancer, Katie Buck reflects on how the experience has helped her find her professional identity and connect with patients.
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Hope and Acceptance at the End of Life: Impact of Spirituality on Patients in Palliative Care | Cureus
Pastoral Thanatology and the importance of spirituality
Please also review AIHCP's Pastoral Thanatology Program