Loss grieving and bereavement

Question 1

define grief

Answer 1

“the emotional and psychological reaction to loss

Question 2

loss

Answer 2

when you no longer have something.

Question 3

mourning

Answer 3

describes what we do when we experience grief—the outward manifestations.

What you DO.

Question 4

types of loss

Answer 4

Health

Divorce

Pet

Job

Stage of life

Purpose

Question 5

when we exeprience grief we have 4 resopnses

Answer 5

feelings

thoughts

behaviours

physical signs

Question 6

what do we look at to predict how people will grieve

Answer 6

Traumatic death more difficult grieving processes

PMH of mental health difficulties

Cultural beliefs

Relationship difficulties

Previous losses

Social support

Consequences of that loss

Question 7

pyhysical signs of grief

Answer 7

• Nausea
• Sleep disturbance
• Lethargy
• Reduced appetite
• Psychosomatic illness
• Low level infections
• Headaches

Question 8

thoughts in response to grief

Answer 8

• Disbelief
• Sense of unreality
• Short term memory loss
• Reduced sense of purpose
• Dreams
• Poor concentration
• Obsessive thoughts
• Dreams

Question 9

feelings in response to grief

Answer 9

• Anxiety
• Anger
• Sadness
• Guilt
• Relief
• Helplessness
• Numb
• Shock

Question 10

behaviours in response to grief

Answer 10

• Social withdrawal
• Overactive
• Change in habits

Question 11

types of grief

Answer 11

• Normal- may find day to day life/ activities difficult. Numbness, shock, pain. Crying, dreaming of the dead, waves of emotion.
• Anticipatory- an impending loss.
• Inhibited- avoiding or escaping feelings.
• Complicated- 7% of people experience this. Completely overwhelmed, obsessive, irrational thoughts, catastrophising. Usually need counselling.
• Delayed- initial grief blocked e.g., losing a parent at a young age, times of war and conflict, substance misuse
• Disenfranchised- grief that is not socially acceptable- e.g., pet, abortion, limb
• Absent- grief in denial
• Exaggerated- grief remains prominent in a person’s life years after loss

Question 12

2 forms that models of grief take

Answer 12

traditional linear or phasic

experiential

Question 13

kubler ross model of grief (DABDA)

Answer 13

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

Question 14

are linear models valuable to us

Answer 14

• Often interpreted as necessary
• Societal pressures to go through these phases as they are described
• Seen as abnormal if not “ticked off”.

Question 15

give 2 examples of experiential models

Answer 15

Tonkin

The dual process

Question 16

tonkin model of grief

Answer 16

• experiential model
• Growing around grief
• This describes what happens from inside out rather than outside in
• • Looks like grief is all encompassing at first. The process of getting over grief is not diminishing it but building yourself around it to the point that the grief is no longer so overwhelming.

Question 17

the dual process- loss and restoration

Answer 17

• Focusses on loss itself- memories, yearning, preoccupation, continuing bonds
• Then restoration- adjusting, what needs to be done, mastering new tasks
• These two processes occur in parallel with each other and you can flip between them therefore not linear

Question 18

How do societal and cultural differences affect grieving

Answer 18

In a multicultural society there will always be a mixture of beliefs, traditions and expectations.

These rituals offer a sense of stability and security at times of loss.

Every culture has its own thoughts about the meaning of life and what happens after death.

Rituals offer people ways to process and express their grief.

They provide community support, routine and normalcy.

Customs can help address how people cope with death, and what happens after death and can determine how vocal that grief is.

Different ages and genders grieve differently, the period of grieving varies and dress code that is adhered to does also.

Question 19

examples of how muslims and jews mourn

Answer 19

Muslims: are always buried, there is a washing of the body which is draped before burial, which should occur as soon as possible before death. Women don’t attend the burial. The body is usually kept at home before the burial. Belief in life after death.

Judaism: funeral within 24h of death, buried not cremated

Question 20

abnormal grief

Answer 20

It is normal to grieve the death of a loved one and this usually occurs over a period of 6m-2y.

In 7% of people this grief becomes somewhat abnormal and intervention is needed, usually in the form of counselling

Question 21

what does abnormal grief look like

Answer 21

• Intense continued reaction to loss
• Sense of detachment or depersonalisation
• Confused unpredictable behaviour
• High anxiety levels
• Inability to see a future
• Preoccupation with loss
• Co-morbid with other MH issues
• Leads to secondary losses e.g., job, relationships
• Self-destructive behaviour

Question 22

what do people want when they’re grieving?

Answer 22

• Communication-clear and concise
• Acknowledgement and empathy
• Community and normalisation
• Support to find their own way