Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Grief is the normal internal feeling one experiences in reaction to a loss,
while bereavement is the state of having experienced that loss. Although people
often suffer emotional pain in response to loss of anything that is very
important to them (for example, a job, a friendship, one's sense of safety, a home),
grief usually refers to the loss of a loved one through death. Grief is quite
common, in that three out of four women outlive their spouse, with the average
age of becoming a widow being 56 years. More than half of women in the United
States are widowed by the time they reach age 65. Every year in the United
States, 4% of children under the age of 15 experience the death of a parent.
Although not a formal medical diagnosis, prolonged grief, formerly called complicated grief refers to a
reaction to loss that lasts more than one year. It is characterized by the grief
reaction intensifying to affect all of the sufferer's close relationships,
disrupting his or her beliefs, and it tends to result in the bereaved
experiencing ongoing longing for their deceased loved one. About
15% of bereaved individuals will suffer from complicated grief, and one-third of people already getting mental-health
services have been found to suffer from this extended grief reaction.
Anticipatory grief is defined as the feelings loved ones have in reaction to
knowing that someone they care about is terminally ill. It occurs before the
death of the afflicted loved one and can be an important part of the grieving
process since this allows time for loved ones to say goodbye to the terminally
ill individual, begin to settle affairs, and plan for the funeral or other
rituals on behalf of the person who is dying.
What is mourning?
As opposed to grief, which refers to how someone may feel the loss of a loved
one, mourning is the outward expression of that loss. Mourning usually involves
culturally determined rituals that help the bereaved individuals make sense of
the end of their loved one's life and give structure to what can feel like a
very confusing time. Therefore, while the internal pain of grief is a more
universal phenomenon, how people mourn is influenced by their personal,
familial, cultural, religious, and societal beliefs and customs. Everything from how
families prepare themselves and their loved ones for death, and understand and react
to the passing to the practices for preserving memories of the deceased,
their funeral or memorial, burial, cremation or other ways of handling the
remains of the deceased is influenced by internal and external factors.
The
length of time for a formal mourning period and sometimes the amount of
bereavement leave people are allowed to take from work is determined by a
combination of personal, familial, cultural, religious, and societal factors. Mourning customs also affect how bereaved individuals may
feel comfortable seeking support as well as the appropriate ways for their
friends and family to express sympathy during this time. For example, cultures
may differ greatly in how much or how little the aggrieved individual may talk
about their loss with friends, family members, and coworkers and may determine
whether or not participating in a bereavement support group or psychotherapy is
acceptable.
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus, which infects humans when it comes in contact with a break in the skin or tissues such as those that line the vagina, anal area, mouth, or eyes.
Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.
Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric condition, can develop after any catastrophic life event. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, sweating, rapid heart rate, detachment, amnesia, sleep problems, irritability, and exaggerated startle response. Treatment may involve psychotherapy, group support, and medication.
Suicide is the process of intentionally ending one's own life. Approximately 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and 10 million to 20 million attempt suicide annually.
Huntington's disease is the result of degeneration of neurons in areas of the brain. Huntington's disease is an inherited disorder. Early symptoms include mood swings, apathy, depression, and anger uncharacteristic of the individual. Judgement, memory, and other cognitive functions may become impaired. Presymptomatic testing is available for individuals who have a family history of Huntington's disease. Treatment includes medication and therapy for symptoms.
A number of vital tasks carried out during sleep help maintain good health and enable people to function at their best. Sleep needs vary from individual to individual and change throughout your life. Not getting enough sleep can hurt memory performance, health, and your mood.
Insomnia is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of difficulty falling asleep; waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep; waking up too early in the morning; or unrefreshing sleep. Secondary insomnia is the most common type of insomnia. Treatment for insomnia include lifestyle changes, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medication.
Fatigue can be described in various ways. Sometimes fatigue is described as feeling a lack of energy and motivation (both mental and physical). The causes of fatigue are generally related to a variety of conditions or diseases for example, anemia, mono, medications, sleep problems, cancer, anxiety, heart disease, drug abuse, and more. Treatment of fatigue is generally directed toward the condition or disease that is causing the fatigue.
Smoker's lung photo essay is a collection of pictures and microscopic slides of lung disease caused by cigarette smoking. Smoker's lung refers to the diseases and structural abnormalities in the lung caused by cigarette smoking.
Childhood depression can interfere with social activities, interests, schoolwork and family life. Symptoms and signs include anger, social withdrawal, vocal outbursts, fatigue, physical complaints, and thoughts of suicide. Treatment may involve psychotherapy and medication.
Advance directives are designed to outline a person's wishes and preferences in regard to medical treatments and interventions. Advance directives generally fall into three categories: living will, power of attorney, and health-care proxy.
A heart attack is a layperson's term for a sudden blockage of a coronary artery. This photo essay inlcudes graphics, pictures, and illustrations of diseased heart tissue and the mechanisms that lead to coronary artery disease, and possible heart attack.
Children's health is focused on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. There are many aspects of children's health, including growth and development, illnesses, injuries, behavior, mental illness, family health and community health.
Teenagers recognize that they are developmentally between child and adult. Teen health prevention includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, preventing injuries and screening annually for potential health conditions that could adversely affect teenage health.
Most often, caregivers take care of other adults who are ill or disabled. Less often, caregivers are grandparents raising their grandchildren. The majority of caregivers are middle-aged women. Caregiving can be very stressful, so it's important to recognize when it's putting to much strain on you and to take steps to prevent/relieve stress.
Hospice is a service that offers support, resources, and assistance to terminally ill patients and their families. In such late stages of diseases, especially when there is "nothing left to do," hospice can offer help for patients and families. There are many aspects of a patient's well-being that can be addressed. Hospice can play a key role in managing physical symptoms of a disease (palliative care) and supporting patients and families emotionally and spiritually.
There are over 20 definitions of "sleep" in several dictionaries. The first,
a verb, seems most appropriate:
to take the rest afforded by a suspension of
voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of
consciousness; cease being awake.
Physiologically, sleep is a complex process of
restoration and renewal for the body. Scientists still do not have a definitive
explanation for why humans have a need for sleep. We do know that sleep is not a
passive process or "switching off" of body functions; sleep is believed to be
important in many physiologic processes including the processing of experiences
and the consolidation of memories. It is also clear that sleep is essential, not
only for humans but for almost all animals.
The importance of sleep is
underscored by the symptoms experienced by those suffering from sleep problems.
People s...