The loss of a loved one can have a huge impact on one’s emotional state. Grief takes many forms and is handled is an endless number of ways. There simply is no rule book for how to deal with grief, but what about the rule book for deciding when grief becomes depression? The American Psychiatric Association, or APA, and its diagnostic manual has long warned doctors away from diagnosing major depression in people who've just lost a loved one. It's known as the bereavement exclusion in the DSM, … [Read more...]
How You Can Help Victims of Hurricane Sandy
With thousands of people still out of power and millions of people affected by hurricane Sandy, many want to know what they can do to help. There are numerous opportunities for you to show your support for the victims of the storm, and even if you can't provide first-hand help, there's a lot you can do to provide assistance. ABC news has provided a list of links and contact information for charitable organizations that you can support. Here's a brief summary. American Red Cross: … [Read more...]
The Universal Stages of Grief and Loss
Grief and loss are things we must deal with as human beings many times throughout our lives. Mourning the loss of a loved one or pet is a universal human experience. The loss of a relationship caused by breakup or divorce, the loss of a family member or friend or the loss of a beloved pet causes all of us to go through the mourning process of dealing with grief and loss. In the late 1960s, Elsabeth Kubler-Ross published the seminal book, “On Death and Dying,” which outlined the five stages of … [Read more...]
