In an audio presentation for Psychiatric Times, Katherine Shear, an expert on complicated grief, delivers a talk on the topic that provides listeners with a concise and comprehensive primer. She gives -- in about 15 minutes -- a complete overview of the malady, noting that it affects as many as 10% of bereaved people. Shear begins by characterizing grief -- and even intense grief reactions -- as a normal response to the death of someone with whom the bereaved person has a close relationship, then differentiates complicated grief by clearly summarizing its causes, symptoms, assessment, and treatment.
One of many useful ingredients in Shear's presentation is her "five simple questions" to help a clinician assess whether a person who is having continuing, intense grief symptoms a year or more after the death might be suffering from complicated grief:
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Hospice Foundation of America's Lunch N Learn Series
Hospice Foundation of America is excited to offer a fresh approach to a new set of one-hour educational programs, our “Lunch 'n Learn” series. Each one will feature a panel of experienced professionals offering their own expertise on the topic as well as discussing it with one another and the moderator. If you logon for the live version of the program you will not only be able to see the panelists on screen, but also will have the opportunity to send in questions that they will answer and discuss during the program.
HFA’s 2011/2012 “Lunch 'n Learn” programs begin October 5, 2011. Each program will examine a different topic to meet the diverse need of hospices and communities around the country. Then each one will be available for up to a year after its initial live air date. The cost is $85 per program for hospice (or other) organizations or $35 per program for individuals. CEs are available at a cost of $10/person. Register online now to make sure you don’t miss out on these timely and helpful topics! (Or register by mail/fax with this form.)
HFA’s 2011/2012 “Lunch 'n Learn” programs begin October 5, 2011. Each program will examine a different topic to meet the diverse need of hospices and communities around the country. Then each one will be available for up to a year after its initial live air date. The cost is $85 per program for hospice (or other) organizations or $35 per program for individuals. CEs are available at a cost of $10/person. Register online now to make sure you don’t miss out on these timely and helpful topics! (Or register by mail/fax with this form.)
Pioneers in Grief Study
PIONEERS OF GRIEF RESEARCH
J. William Worden
Worked with the grief of widows and how they moved on after the death of their husbands. His numerous awards and memberships are the following —Influential Leader Award in Grief and Loss, American Academy of Bereavement (2005) Association of Death Education & Counseling-ADEC (Founding Member) International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement-IWG (Founding Member) Influential Leader Award in Grief and Loss, American Academy of Bereavement (2005) Clinical Practice Award, Association of Death Education and Counseling (1993)
Elizabeth Kubler Ross
1926-2004- She was a psychiatrist and a pioneer in near death studies.She was the author of Death and Dying (1969) in which the Kubler-Ross model was first introduced.
Edward John Mostyn "John" Bowlby
1907–1990. He was a British psychologist most notable for his interest in child development and his ideas on attachment theory.
Erich Lindemann
Most notable for his studies on traumatic grief especially in regards to the Cocoanut Grove night club fire in the 1940s.
Sigmund Freud
1856-1939. He viewed grief as a pathological issue that if not resolved resulted in dysfunction. One must purge him or herself from the attachment and form new relationships. This idea has been replaced with newer ideals of attachment theory and meaning making where the loss is reformatted into the life story and revered and respected but never totally removed from the self.
J. William Worden
Worked with the grief of widows and how they moved on after the death of their husbands. His numerous awards and memberships are the following —Influential Leader Award in Grief and Loss, American Academy of Bereavement (2005) Association of Death Education & Counseling-ADEC (Founding Member) International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement-IWG (Founding Member) Influential Leader Award in Grief and Loss, American Academy of Bereavement (2005) Clinical Practice Award, Association of Death Education and Counseling (1993)
Elizabeth Kubler Ross
1926-2004- She was a psychiatrist and a pioneer in near death studies.She was the author of Death and Dying (1969) in which the Kubler-Ross model was first introduced.
Edward John Mostyn "John" Bowlby
1907–1990. He was a British psychologist most notable for his interest in child development and his ideas on attachment theory.
Erich Lindemann
Most notable for his studies on traumatic grief especially in regards to the Cocoanut Grove night club fire in the 1940s.
Sigmund Freud
1856-1939. He viewed grief as a pathological issue that if not resolved resulted in dysfunction. One must purge him or herself from the attachment and form new relationships. This idea has been replaced with newer ideals of attachment theory and meaning making where the loss is reformatted into the life story and revered and respected but never totally removed from the self.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Models of Grief
MODELS OF GRIEF
Worden’s Four Tasks-dealt with widows and their moving on in life
1. Task 1. Acceptance
2. Task 2. Working through it
3. Task 3. Adjustment
4. Task 4. Emotionally relocate the deceased and move on
Kubler Ross Model
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance
Rando’s Six Rs
Recognize, React, Recollect, Relinquish, Readjust, Reinvest
John Bowlby and the Process of Mourning
Preoccupation, Disorganization, Reoganization
Lindeman’s Three Steps
Acceptance, Adjusting, Forming New Relationships
Worden’s Four Tasks-dealt with widows and their moving on in life
1. Task 1. Acceptance
2. Task 2. Working through it
3. Task 3. Adjustment
4. Task 4. Emotionally relocate the deceased and move on
Kubler Ross Model
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance
Rando’s Six Rs
Recognize, React, Recollect, Relinquish, Readjust, Reinvest
John Bowlby and the Process of Mourning
Preoccupation, Disorganization, Reoganization
Lindeman’s Three Steps
Acceptance, Adjusting, Forming New Relationships
Activity: The Antidote to Depression From Huffington Post
Most individuals who suffer from depression believe, "Once I feel better, I'll start calling friends again/making dinner plans/playing golf/planning a vacation/etc., but right now, I just don't have the will." Most of these people are not aware of the research, conducted in numerous Cognitive Behavior Therapy studies, that has consistently demonstrated that those who suffer with depression have to put the cart before the horse. That is, in order to feel better, depressed people need to start getting actively re-involved with life right away even though they may not want to or believe they can.
People with clinical depression might understand this concept on an intellectual level, but they frequently experience interfering thoughts such as, "I'm too tired/It won't make me feel any better/My friends will be busy/I won't enjoy the dinner/It's too much effort/Nothing will make me feel better." Cognitive Behavior Therapy helps clients grasp the idea that their thoughts may be 100 percent true, 0 percent true, or some place in the middle. In my own practice, I tell depressed patients that I don't have a crystal ball so I can't predict the validity of their predictions -- but I also gently ask them whether they, themselves, have a crystal ball.
People with clinical depression might understand this concept on an intellectual level, but they frequently experience interfering thoughts such as, "I'm too tired/It won't make me feel any better/My friends will be busy/I won't enjoy the dinner/It's too much effort/Nothing will make me feel better." Cognitive Behavior Therapy helps clients grasp the idea that their thoughts may be 100 percent true, 0 percent true, or some place in the middle. In my own practice, I tell depressed patients that I don't have a crystal ball so I can't predict the validity of their predictions -- but I also gently ask them whether they, themselves, have a crystal ball.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Can omega-3 fatty acids help prevent depression? From CNN
Mental Health Expert Dr. Charles Raison Psychiatrist,
Emory University Medical School
Expert answer
As is so often the case in this blog, the answer to your question is a resounding "maybe." Lots of studies have been done looking at omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of both unipolar (what I sometimes call "regular old") depression and for depression in bipolar disorder. The findings are mixed.
As unclear as the data are for using omega-3 fatty acids to treat depression, we know even less about whether omega-3s might actually prevent depression.
Most of the work that has been done in this area has focused on preventing post-partum depression. Taken as a whole the results are not very promising.
Emory University Medical School
Expert answer
As is so often the case in this blog, the answer to your question is a resounding "maybe." Lots of studies have been done looking at omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of both unipolar (what I sometimes call "regular old") depression and for depression in bipolar disorder. The findings are mixed.
As unclear as the data are for using omega-3 fatty acids to treat depression, we know even less about whether omega-3s might actually prevent depression.
Most of the work that has been done in this area has focused on preventing post-partum depression. Taken as a whole the results are not very promising.
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