Grief is the feeling one experiences after a loss (of a friendship, death of loved one, job). Complicated grief refers to grief that lasts for more than a year. Mourning describes the customs and rituals that help bereaved individuals make sense of their loss. Read more: Grief: Loss of a Loved One Article
Multimedia: Slideshows, Images & Quizzes
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Grief, Bereavement, and Mourning Quiz: Test Your Understanding
Grieving? Whatever your method of dealing with grief, it’s perfectly normal. Take the Grief, Bereavement, and Mourning Quiz to...
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Learn to Spot Depression: Symptoms, Warning Signs, Medication
What is depression? Get information on symptoms, signs, tests, and treatments for many types of depression including major...
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Mental Health: How Grief Can Affect Your Health
Grief is a natural part of life, but it can cause some health issues, at least for a while. Find out how grief can affect your...
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Learn to Spot Depression: Symptoms, Warning Signs, Medication See SlideshowRelated Disease Conditions
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Suicide
Second Source article from Government
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Depression
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).
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Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
A heart attack happens when a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary artery supplying blood to the heart muscle. A heart attack can cause chest pain, heart failure, and electrical instability of the heart.
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Miscarriage
Miscarriage is the medical term for the spontaneous loss of pregnancy from conception to 20 weeks gestation. Risk factors for a woman having a miscarriage include cigarette smoking, older maternal age, radiation exposure, previous miscarriage, maternal weight, illicit drug use, use of NSAIDs, and trauma or anatomical abnormalities to the uterus. There are five classified types of miscarriage: 1) threatened abortion; 2) incomplete abortion; 3) complete abortion; 4) missed abortion; and (5 septic abortion. While there are no specific treatments to stop a miscarriage, a woman's doctor may advise avoiding certain activities, bed rest, etc. If a woman believes she has had a miscarriage, she needs to seek prompt medical attention.
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Stress
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.
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Disease Prevention for Teens
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.
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Sleep Disorders (How to Get a Good Night's Sleep)
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. The National Institutes of Health recommend about 7-9 hours of sleep each night for older, school-aged children, teens, and most average adults; 10-12 for preschool-aged children; and 16-18 hours for newborns. There are two stages of sleep; 1) REM sleep (rapid-eye movement), and 2) NREM sleep (non-rapid-eye movement). The side effects of lack of sleep or insomnia include: Irritability Tiredness Feeling sleepy during the day Concentration or memory problems Lack of sleep and insomnia can be caused by medical conditions or diseases, medications, stress, or pain. The treatment for lack of sleep and insomnia depends upon the cause.
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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
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.
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Cancer
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
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Children's Health
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.
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Suicide
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.
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Nightmares
Nightmares are dreams that cause high anxiety or terror. Nightmares may be a part of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and they usually occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. There are several different treatment options for nightmares, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and medications.
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Mental Health
Mental health is an optimal way of thinking, relating to others, and feeling. All of the diagnosable mental disorders fall under the umbrella of mental illness. Depression, anxiety, and substance-abuse disorders are common types of mental illness. Symptoms and signs of mental illness include irritability, moodiness, insomnia, headaches, and sadness. Treatment may involve psychotherapy and medication.
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Depression in Children
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.
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Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by symptoms such as trouble concentrating, headaches, sleep problems, and irritability. Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults. Treatment for anxiety may incorporate medications and psychotherapy.
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Insomnia
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.
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Fatigue
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, and drug abuse.Treatment of fatigue is generally directed toward the condition or disease that is causing the fatigue.
Treatment & Diagnosis
- Doctor: Getting the Most from Your Doctor's Appointment
- How to Choose a Doctor
- Doctor: Checklist to Take To Your Doctor's Appointment
- Depression
- Death: How to Discuss this Issue
- Grief and Loss with Richard Kneip
- Grief: Understanding the Loss of a Loved One
- Grief: Helping Your Child Deal With Loss
- Grief and Loss: Mourning Our Troops -- Dottie Ward-Wimmer, RN
- Suicide
- Apathy
- Social Isolation
Prevention & Wellness
- Losing a Sibling a Common Tragedy in Poorer Nations, Study Finds
- Chrissy Teigen's Pregnancy Loss Spotlights a Hidden Source of Grief for Many
- Kids Often Hit Hard by Death of Beloved Pet, Study Finds
- COVID-19 Deaths Have Already Left 1.2 Million Americans Grieving
- AHA News: Sadness and Isolation of Pandemic Can Make Coping With Grief Harder
- Many Americans Will Grieve Parents, Grandparents Lost to Coronavirus
- Why Does Death Risk From Melanoma Rise After Loss of Spouse or Partner?
- Losing a Spouse Could Speed Brain's Decline
- More Americans Are Now Dying at Home Rather Than the Hospital
- Four-Legged Friends Help Buffer Loss of a Spouse
- Health Tip: Causes of Appetite Loss
- Grief, Divorce Can Really Tax the Heart
- Still Too Many Highway Deaths Tied to Speeding
- Airliner Crashes, Deaths Rose in 2018
- Former President George H.W. Bush Dies at 94
- Senator John McCain Dies From Brain Tumor
- Health Tip: Cope With Loss
- Valentine's Day Coping Tips When Loved One Is Gone
- Grieving Friends Often Find Support Online
- Prince Harry's Journey Shows Grief Can Be a Long Road
- 'Palliative Care' Gets a Bad Rap, Study Finds
- Doctors Rarely Discuss Religion With Critically Ill, Study Says
- Hospice May Help Ease Depression After Loss of Spouse
- Health Tip: Is It Grief or Depression?
- End-of-Life Care Discussions May Miss Patient Priorities
- Many Americans May Get Hospice Care Too Late
- 'Exposure Therapy' May Relieve Prolonged Grief Disorder
- Special Therapy May Help Relieve 'Complicated Grief'
- Grief Can Weigh on Immune System in Older Folks, Study Says
- Grief in Pregnancy May Trigger Obesity in Adulthood
- Doctors Don't Ask About End-of-Life Plans, Study Finds
- Patient Wishes Should Guide End-of-Life Care, Researchers Say
- Health Tip: When Grief Becomes Depression
- Tips on Coping With Grief During Holidays
- Pinball Analogy May Help Grief-Stricken Move Forward
- Cancer Docs Often Deal With Own Grief, Doubts When Patients Die
- Is Grief an Illness? The Debate Heats Up
- Grief May Boost Heart Attack Risk
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