1. The Grief and Mourning Quiz

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

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.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

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.

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In this Article

• Grief: Loss of a loved one facts
• What is grief?
• What is mourning?
• What are the effects of losing a loved one?
• What are the causes and risk factors of prolonged grief?
• What are the signs, symptoms, and stages of grief?
• How is grief assessed?
• How can people cope with grief?
• What are the legal issues associated with dying and death?
• Where can people get help?
• Grief, Bereavement, and Mourning FAQs
• Patient Comments: Loss, Grief, and Bereavement - Experience
• Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
• Loss, Grief, and Bereavement Index

AARP Grief and Loss Programs
Offers a variety of programs in which volunteers reach out to widows
601 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20049
202-434-2260

American Society of Suicidology
202-237-2280

Cancer Care, Inc.
275 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
1-800-813-HOPE (4673)
http://www.cancercare.org

Center for Suicide Prevention
321202 Centre Street, S.E.
Calgary, Alberta
Canada T2G5A5
403-245-3900
http://www.suicideinfo.ca

Compassionate Friends (help following a suicide)
1-877-969-0019

ElderHope, LLC
Offers online support, forums, seminars, classes, and bereavement materials
PO Box 940822
Plano, TX 75094-0822
972-768-8553

Hospice Foundation of America
1-800-854-3402
http://www.hospicefoundation.org

Hospice Education Institute
1-800-331-1620

Mothers Against Drunk Driving
1-800-438-MADD [6233]

National Cancer Institute

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Provides a search for hospice and palliative care, as well as statistics, resources, and information
1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 300
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-837-1500

National Organization for Victim Assistance
1-800-879-6682

National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Resource Center
1-866-866-7437

Parents of Murdered Children
1-888-818-POMC

Parents Without Partners
Offers support, information, and resources for single parents
1650 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 510
Boca Raton, FL 33432
516-391-8833

Pet Loss
1-888-332-7738

Samaritan Hospice (Marlton, NJ)
Offers several free grief support groups to those who have lost a spouse at a young age and to those grieving the loss of a same-sex partner
1-800-229-8183
info@samaritanhospice.org

SHARE Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc.
1-800-821-6819

Society of Military Widows
1-800-842-3451

The future

As researchers continue to examine the management of grief, the level of clarity about what is helpful and not helpful in helping the bereaved needs to be improved. Although hospital personnel have tended over the past decades to address the medical, legal, and emotional issues associated with the loss of a loved one, health-care professionals who work in clinics and private offices would serve their patients better if those issues were addressed long before a crisis of health or loss takes place.

REFERENCES:

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Center for Suicide Prevention. Grief after suicide: notes from the literature on qualitative differences and stigma. SIEC Alert #46, November 2001.

Demmer, C. "Caring for a Loved One With AIDS: A South African Perspective." Journal of Loss and Trauma 11 (2006): 439-455.

Forte, A. L., Hill, M., Pazder, R., Feudtner, C. Bereavement care interventions: a systematic review. Biomedical Central Limited Palliative Care, 3: 3, July 26, 2004.

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Li, J., Laursen, T. M., Precht, D. H., Olsen, J., Mortensen, P. T. Hospitalization for mental illness among parents after the death of a child. New England Journal of Medicine 352: 1190-1196, March 2005.

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Medicine.net. Hospice care. 2007.

Melhem, N. M., Day, N., Shear, K., Day, R., Reynolds, C. F., Brent, D. Traumatic grief among adolescents exposed to a peer's suicide. American Journal of Psychiatry 161: 1411-1416, August 2004.

National Cancer Institute. Advanced directives. U.S. National Institutes of Health: 2000.

Neimeyer, R. A., Prigerson, H. G., Davies, B. Mourning and meaning. American Behavioral Scientist 46(2): 235-251, 2002.

People Living with Cancer. Understanding grief in a cultural context. 2005.

Pfeffer, C. R. Death. Psychiatric Times 17 (9), September 2000.

Piper, W. E., Ogrodniczuk, J. S., Azim, H. F., Weideman, R. Prevalence of loss and complicated grief among psychiatric outpatients. Psychiatric Services 52: 1069-1074, August 2001.

Rask, K., Kaunonen, M., Paunonen-Ilmonen, M. Adolescent coping with grief after the death of a loved one. International Journal of Nursing Practice. 8(3): 137-142, June 2002.

Reyes-Ortiz, C. A., Moreno-Macias, C. H., Ceballos-Osorio, J. Myocardial infarction triggered by bereavement in older women. Annals of Long-Term Care 9(7), July 2001.

SadlyMissed.com. The seven stages of grief. 2006.

Stroebe, M., Henk, Schut. The dual process model of coping with bereavement: rationale and description. Death Studies. 23(3): 197-224, March 1999.

Tilden, V. P., Tolle, S. W., Nelson, C. A., Fields, J. Family decision-making to withdraw life-sustaining treatments from hospitalized patients. Nursing Research 50(2): 105-115, March/April 2001.

University of Virginia Health System. National bereavement resources. 2007.

Wyant, L. Euthanasia: what to expect when your pet's time has come. Vetcentric.com 11/27/2000.