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After reading this article you will learn about the treatment and management of grief.
Grief is a common experience of emotion. It is characterized by sadness, tension, weeping, crying, feeling of sorrow and remorse. Withdrawal from the outside world is very common in a person experiencing grief. Besides there is loss of appetite and hence weight loss is observed. Sexual interest also decreases due to grief. With the passage of time grief reduces gradually and the person starts becoming normal.
But persons who have already experienced depression during earlier phases of grief due to loss of close family member or loss of a job or property are likely to experience depression rather than normal grief. However, grief is more or less normal experience of sorrow which may tend to depression in worst cases.
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In case of normal grief no psychiatric counselling is required. But normal grief should not be taken lightly as it sometimes may lead to major depression and may complicate the case. Hence, the psychiatrist or the clinical psychologist should be very careful in dealing with grief therapy and grief management particularly when one smell some amount of depression in grief.
Abnormal reactions to certain bereavements like suicide attempts after the death of a spouse or child or one of the parents should be treated by psychiatrists by giving mild sedative to induce sleep. Since there is the possibility of normal grief during the depression at any point of time specific counselling imparted to the grief stricken person proves useful.
For with the increased tension, anxiety and stress of modern life every person anywhere in the world experiences depression and unhappiness. Grief has become a pail of modern life with the day to day tragedies and untimely death occurring due to accidents and fatal diseases.
Sudden fall of share markets, lust for earthly pleasure and frustration due to the unavailability of the same make the common man sorrowful and depressed. In view of the above, grief therapy has gained tremendous importance in the modern society.
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In grief therapy, the concerned patient is given counselling regularly where he is encouraged by the psychiatrist to open his heart and speak out his grief and feelings of loss. Any negative feeling towards the dead person should also be expressed during the counselling session.
During grief therapy, the patient develops a subconscious attachment towards the therapist identifying him with the person lost. This provides the patient some sympathy, some consolation. Gradually he develops normal attitude towards life and people developing a sense of confidence and security. The therapist has therefore a very responsible and important role to play.
He should encourage the patient to develop a sense of confidence, willpower, security, autonomy and favourable attitude towards life and world. The therapist should be cautious in handling the delicate emotional reactions of the patient like guilt, anger, sorrow and self blame, inferiority etc.
Instead of becoming a passive onlooker, the therapist must play a very active role and suggest ways and means to the patient thereby participating in the decision making process. By becoming an active counsellor he should direct the patient not to brood about the past and develop independence and autonomy to handle the day to day problems of life in a normal manner.
Besides individual counselling, group counselling, also proves as an effective technique of grief management. In certain cases, self help groups also prove beneficial. After the death of the spouse or a child, the bereaved person feels isolated, lonely and withdrawn from social life.
At this juncture the self help group comes to the rescue of the bereaved person. It provides emotional support, security and companionship, friendship and social relationship which finally help the patients to perceive the world and its people with a positive approach. They soon start perceiving meaning and value in their life.
It has been observed that particularly widowers and widows are greatly benefited by grief therapy. Even at home, the family members can play the role of a counsellor and take utmost care of the bereaved person by sympathizing with him, consoling him and engaging the bereaved person in various meaningful activities which he may like and appreciate.
By engaging him in activities which he likes his mind is diverted from brooding and depression to pleasure and relaxation. “Talking out” acts as a very good therapy to reduce grief and helps positively in grief management.