Wednesday, January 08, 2014
Interesting resources identified over the past 2 years:
1.
Briefing:
Grief and DSM-V. This briefing, written by Alison Penny on behalf of the
National Bereavement Alliance and the
Childhood Bereavement Network in the UK, provides a succinct account of the way
bereavement is to be treated in the latest DSM-V, - the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the
American Psychiatric Association. It
provides some positive and negative aspects of these changes. (In the newly published version, persistent complex bereavement disorder
is included in the section Conditions for Further Study)
2.
The following blog by an American psychiatrist considers
the editors of the DSM-V (5th
edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatirc
Association) ) have been right in the way they have handled bereavement in this
new edition. The 15 comments on the blog consider alternative viewpoints. The issue is probably of greater importance
in the United States but the above document and this one, together with
references, provide varied examples of viewpoints.
3.
White Craig A. Living with complicated grief. Sheldon Press 2013. This is an evidence based, self-help manual
based on CBT methods recommended for complicated grief. It could
be helpful to some bereaved people as they browse a selection of
literature on bereavement. It could also be useful as a text for a bereavement
group The author rightly suggests that a bereaved person ideally requires a companion with whom to
discuss the exercises.
As a text, it would be
appropriate for professionals as they discuss
and examine their own perception and possible treatment of complicated grief.
4.
Graves D. Setting up and facilitating bereavement
support groups. Jessica Kingsley 2012. The author is a bereavement services
co-ordinator in a hospice in England. The book has proved popular with staff working with bereavement
groups at the hospice where I work. Amongst other topics, it includes what
makes a good facilitator, managing dynamics in a group, different types of
groups (eg closed, open, structured, non-structured) and
pitfalls along the way. The appendix contains an example of an
evaluation sheet as well as an example of the records kept by a facilitator.
5.
Moss J. Writing
in bereavement. A creative handbook. Jessica Kingsley 2012. The book considers different ways that
bereaved people can be helped by writing about their bereavement experiences.
The author provides imaginative creative writing exercises for groups and
individuals, using a variety of literary forms.
Some chapter headings are: reflecting on change, writing for memorial,
endings, reflection and feedback, resources for establishing a writing group,
writing exercises and prompts. Undoubtedly it could also be used in groups
facing other types of losses.
6.
Neimeyer R.A. Techniques of grief therapy. Creative practices for counseling
7.
Below is a link to some cartoons by a young man.
They depict his grief after the death of his girlfriend. The visual
representation of grief is especially useful for those who do not feel able to
read. He has published a book with more cartoons about his bereavement called
The End by Anders Nilsen. Turnaround Books 2013
8.
Thompson Neil. Grief and its challenges. Palgrave 2012. This
book spans a great deal of issues
concerned with loss and grief – from personal and professional responses to
grief to social problems associated with loss. The chapter on traditional and contemporary
theories of grief is especially useful for the many students who are required
to know about them as it provides a
succinct summary. For those who already
work in the field of bereavement, there are many useful insights to deepening
one’s knowledge, especially of the social effects of bereavement.
9. Birrell
J et al. Socio-economic costs of
bereavement in Scotland: Main study
Report. Robert Gordon University 2013. The conclusions of this
report suggest that that as spousal bereavement is associated not only with
increased mortality but also with longer hospital stays, it is recommended that
the Scottish Government a) includes information on guidance for the recently
bereaved that aims to increase awareness and self-recognition of developing
problems that may benefit from professional help or more general social support
2) includes this information in relevant documents and dialogue with health and
social care professionals 3) provides
systems for collection of data to
facilitate accurate estimation of costs in primary care – as the socio-economic
effect is likely to be considerably under-estimated 5) relevant funding bodies commission further
research addressing the various socio-economic impacts of bereavement. The
recommendations could be taken up by other governments and agencies.
10. Berns
Nancy. Closure. The rush to end grief and
what it costs us. Temple University Press 2011. This
is primarily a critique of the term closure
in helping people who have suffered significant losses. She examines the various meanings of the term
in the context of losses, focusing primarily
on the social aspects – but it also covers
political, psychological and commercial
(yes!) considerations. Although she mentions many complex meanings of the word,
she considers seven key aspects of the term: closing a chapter, remembering,
forgetting, getting even, knowing, confessing
and forgiving. One of her key themes is that closure is so often
depicted as a necessary and healthy way to deal with bereavement when in fact
it is not a panacea. An excellent book review by Paul Rosenblatt (Review of N. Berns, Closure: The Rush to End
Grief and What It Costs. Death Studies, 37, 589-594) complements
the book well. “I have learned from the book and it deserves
attention.” However, he cautions that a
focus on the complexity of one aspect of bereavement inevitably excludes many
other important considerations of the topic.
11. Rappaport
Nancy. In her wake. A child psychiatrist
explores the mystery of her mother’s suicide. Basic Books 2009. The author is an experienced child
psychiatrist who has delved into her mother’s life to try and understand the
reasons for her suicide. The result is a
powerful family saga of a wealthy and influential family, touching on the sad
and happy aspects of their lives. The
eloquent writing highlights the importance of trying to understand aspects of
one’s own life in the context of one’s family history, especially when a mother
has died when a child is young. She
describes an evolving accepting relationship with her father but her bulwark
has been her husband and children. She is obviously a successful doctor
but her childhood losses have been ever-present in her life. She does not talk
of resilience but of a “stubborn refusal to succumb to the current of despair”.
12. Wadey
A. Finding meaning in the bureaucracy of
bereavement. Bereavement Care 2013 v32 no1 p39-43. The author has extensive
experience of advising people on the various practical aspects that bereaved
people have to attend to, in the aftermath of a death eg legal recognition of
death, arranging for disposal of the body and dealing with money and personal
effects. There is little research on this but the author has provided information
and advice on these issues over 20 years, Her contention is that better
communication of the purpose behind the administrative tasks can only result in
a better service, but also help bereaved people to find some meaning in the
bureaucracy of death.
13. Westerink
D, Stroebe M. The death of a grandparent Bereavement
Care 2012 v31 no1 p6-10. This short article provides a short review and
discussion of the literature on bereaved grandchildren (on which there is
little research). It describes a case study, based on an interview with a young
man who lost his much-loved grandmother in early adolescence. The strong and unique bonds between
grandchildren and grandparent are often unrecognised.
14. Kerslake
K. Cruse Bereavement Care – somewhere to
turn when someone dies. Grief Matters 2012 v15 no3 p523-56. Cruse is the
UK’s leading bereavement care charity providing a range of local and national
services. This article outlines its history from a small service for widows to
a national organisation with more than 6,000 volunteers. It also outlines its work in influencing policy in the UK and its work with various partners. It has
been in existence for 54 years and is constantly developing its services. In 2011-2102 over 38,000 clients received one-to-one support from Cruse.
15. European
Association of Palliative Care. 13th world congress, Book of
abstracts. The number of posters on bereavement numbered just four (further details from EAPC website or request
via author of blog) – Support for bereaved and
pre-bereaved siblings within a palliative care context (Scotland),
Bereavement: the bright and dark side of online discussion forums (England) , Recording voices in palliative care: how does
providing an oral history at the end of life influence well-being of the individual and the
bereaved (England) and How do children and their parents experience a family
bereavement group (Germany) – all interesting topics though it would be good to
have seen more.
16. European
Association of Palliative Care blog. Bereavement
care provision in palliative care – a European descriptive and
consensus-building exercise. This
is a survey currently taking place on bereavement services in Europe. The aim
is to a) Develop a baseline description
of current bereavement care in palliative care services in Europe b) Formulate
recommendations for bereavement care principles, structures, processes and
delivery based on current practice and evidence 3) Establish a consensus on these
recommendations. Further information at:
17. Parkes
CM. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, On death and
dying: a reappraisal. 2013 Mortality
v18 no 1 p94-97. It is useful to have
some consideration of classic texts even if currently out of favour in the
academic and clinical world. This was an
influential book and Colin Murray Parkes
provides an overview. It is a
collection of case studies of people at
the end of life, published in 1969. It
helped to bring public attention to the topic, including the need to improve care. However, for a
variety of reasons, Kubler-Ross was left
“isolated from the mainstream and
vulnerable to exploitation by her devotees” (from the abstract).
18. Ness
P. A monster calls. Walker 2012. This is children’s book that has won many
accolades. It is a story about a young boy whose mother has advanced cancer and
during her illness, the monster tells
stories to the young boy during the night.
The original idea is by a woman who had terminal cancer and died before
the book was published. The following
link is a discussion of the book with some comments. One comment
suggests that the book is not one that would help children with dying
parents. So read it first!
19. Life as a widower. It is just over a
year since Benjamin
Brooks-Dutton’s wife, Desreen, died in a car accident leaving him a young
widower with a 2 year old son. He started the blog a few weeks after Desreen
died, thinking initially it would simply help
men to show their feelings following a death but he got so many
responses that he now states “The blog explores themes of loss and grief from both my son’s and my own
point of view. It also frequently features guest posts about bereavement, loss
and grief of all kinds from anyone who has an interesting, thought provoking or
touching story to tell.”
20. Heaney
S. The Haw Lantern. Faber and Faber
1987. The following link is from a poem
about the death of the poet’s mother. It is titled Clearances – in memoriam MKH1911-1984. No doubt there will be poems on remembering
the poet himself in due course but this poem reflects the often small things
that will stay closely in our hearts
following the death of a parent
. The last hours of life can also bring
unexpectedly deep insights:
