Bereavement is diagnosed when the focus of clinical attention is a reaction to the death or loss of a loved one. As part of their reaction to the loss, some grieving individuals present with symptoms characteristic of a Major Depressive Episode (e.g., feelings of sadness and associated symptoms such as insomnia, poor appetite, and weight loss).

The bereaved individual typically regards the depressed mood as “normal,” although the person may seek professional help for relief of associated symptoms such as insomnia or anorexia. The duration and expression of “normal” bereavement vary considerably among different cultural groups.

The diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder is generally not given unless the symptoms are still present 2 months after the loss. However, the presence of certain symptoms that are not characteristic  of a “normal” grief reaction may be helpful in differentiating bereavement from a Major Depressive Episode. These include:

1. Guilt about things other than actions taken or not taken by the survivor at the time of the death;
2. Thoughts of death other than the survivor feeling that he or she would be better off dead or should have died with the deceased person;
3. Morbid preoccupation with worthlessness;
4. Significant psycho-motor retardation;
5. Prolonged and serious functional impairment; and
6. Hallucinatory experiences other than thinking that he or she hears the voice of, or transiently sees the image of, the deceased person.

Prop-long Treatments

Prolonged grief is a mental illness that affects the patient physically, mentally and socially. As the disease progresses, the individual is at risk for developing a variety of complications that range from mild to severe.

As grief continues to linger, patients are more likely to slide into a deep, profound depression. They have no motivation to perform any task and would rather not interact with the people around them. In the worst cases of depression, the bereaved individual will turn to thoughts of suicide.Without treatment, truly depressed individuals are at a high risk for attempting to kill themselves.

Prolonged grief places a great amount of stress and tension on the affected person. High levels of stress can cause physical illness, the Mayo Clinic warns. Patients suffering from prolonged grief are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease. Cancer rates are also elevated in people who suffered from complicated grief.

Unbearable grief often drives people to substance abuse. At first, they turn to mild substances such as alcohol or nicotine but as the grief lingers, patients graduate to more powerful substances like heroin or cocaine. Initially, the individual may turn to substance abuse to alleviate the symptoms of grief; however, over time, they will become addicted to the substance. Addiction to an illicit substance is a whole other disease that brings its own set of complications and usually exacerbates the effects of a grief disorder.

The most telling complication of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is the inability to deal with daily living. Even the most mundane chores seem daunting to someone suffering from PGD. They will need care and monitoring from a dedicated caregiver. If the grief is not treated, patients will slowly deteriorate physically and psychologically.

The disease also adversely affects the friends and relatives of a person suffering from PGD. They often feel hurt and helpless when they are unable to help their loved one. Some people react with anger or frustration. In most cases, complicated grief places a massive burden on all of the patient’s relationships. Prompt, comprehensive treatment helps prevent any long-term damage to the patient’s interpersonal connections.

Treatment

There Is No Set Treatment Modaity that works in  every case of prolonged grief disorder. Most Medical Professional will design a Treatment Plan that Best Suits the Patient's Specific Symptoms and Life Situation.

The pharmacological options for complicated grief have yet to be established. Antidepressants are the most often used medications as they help patients deal with the symptoms of grief-associated depression. In most cases, pharmacological treatment is secondary to psychotherapy.The best treatment plans use a mix of psychotherapy and medications. In psychotherapy, therapists guide the patient into the basis and foundation of their grief. Patients are encouraged to explore their reaction to grief, their symptoms and their personal goals. An article in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy recommends that therapists attempt to redirect the patient’s goals from inward-directed goals (making themselves feel better) to outward-directed goals (goals related to outside events). Therapy should provide the patient with coping mechanisms that reduce feelings of blame and grief.

Interventions

While in the midst their grief, most people are unable to even consider treatment. The longer the grief lasts, the less likely they are to seek treatment for their depression. If left alone, people with prolonged grief are likely to suffer severe complications.

Luckily, most grief-stricken individuals are surrounded by friends and relatives who are willingly to support and help them. Most relatives will recognize the symptoms of prolonged grief disorder and suggest the subject seek medical help. This is usually enough, but in some cases, the patient is resistant to treatment. They may believe that their grief is normal, that they deserve to suffer or that the grief is the best way to hold on to what initially caused the grief.

Overcoming this resistance is usually too difficult for most families. Therefore, instead of approaching the patient on their own, families will employ a professional interventionist and stage an intervention. During the intervention, the team is able to vocalize the numerous adverse effects the prolonged grief has caused. Ideally, the patient will then consider the presented information and agree to undergo treatment.

If you have any questions about interventions, or would like help staging an intervention for your grief-stricken loved one, contact Dr. Losito today. Dr. Losito Is here to help.

Compassion Fatigue

Every career path has its stressors and can cause burnout, but for funeral directors, burnout and

 stress are more prevalent. Funeral director burnout, commonly known as compassion fatigue, can happen to even the most dedicated individuals. Whether you’ve been helping families bury their loved ones for many years or have just started, it’s important to find ways to keep stress at bay and reduce your chances of burnout/compassion fatigue.

Compassion Fatigue

So what exactly is compassion fatigue? It is known as funeral director fatigue syndrome by some, and is the more medical or formal term for burnout. It can be characterized by these symptoms:

• Isolation
• Irritability & impatience
• Energy loss & exhaustion
• Depression & physical complaints
• Detachment & cynicism

Battling Compassion Fatigue

How do you combat burnout? First, take time for you. In any high-stress situation, neglecting yourself over a long period of time to give to others will eventually take a toll on you. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including diet, rest, and exercise will go a long way toward keeping equilibrium in your life.

Make your time off count. In a family-run funeral home, the atmosphere is generally more laid back. If you’re not busy and your family is nearby, take a little break to spend time with them, like a few minutes hiking/walking and enjoying the outdoors, or a mini-date with your spouse. The little things you make time for will keep you grounded and balanced with work/family life.

Set some boundaries for work. Funeral directors have been expected to be in a 24/7 on-call position for years, but with technological advances, it’s easier to pull away a little and still ensure your responsibilities are handled without losing the personal touch you’re accustomed to giving. Call answering services, remains removal services, and paperwork and filing assistance are a few of the services available to funeral directors. You’ll gain more time away from the funeral home and can handle some situations remotely, making it easier to take a vacation or rest at home.

No matter how long you have been a funeral director, the stress can get to you and cause burnout. In order to reduce your chances of experiencing compassion fatigue, review some of these stress-inhibiting actions that can do a great deal to keep burnout from taking over and ruining your happy life or cause you to rethink your choice as a funeral director.

Pre-Anticiptoray Care toward Cancer

For people diagnosed with cancer, the risk of cancer death falls as physical activity rises, according to a new analysis of more than 70 existing studies.

Researchers found the same holds true for everyone - supporting the current World Health Organization recommendation of moderate physical activity to combat the risk of chronic disease, they write in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The WHO recommends two and a half hours of moderate exercise per week for some health benefit and five hours of moderate exercise per week for additional benefit. Half as much time per week of vigorous physical activity, like running, may confer the same benefits.

There are no specific recommendations for physical activity levels to combat cancer risk, although more activity has been tied to lower risk of death from breast, colorectal and prostate cancers, the authors note.

"Our results might help to update the recommendation concerning the advisable amount of physical activity to reduce cancer mortality," said senior author Dr. Li Liu of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China.

Doctors could start to incorporate physical activity into cancer treatments, Liu told Reuters Health by email.

More on this..    

The researchers included 71 studies of physical activity and cancer death risk in the general population or among cancer survivors.

When they pooled these results, people in the general population who got at least two and half hours of moderate activity like brisk walking, per week, were 13 percent less likely to die from cancer than those with the lowest activity levels.

They also looked at data in terms of MET-hours, a measure of the relative amounts of energy expended in given activities and time spent doing them. Resting represents 1 MET, while a 4-MET activity like brisk walking uses four times as much energy, according to the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Doing a 4-MET activity for 30 minutes equals 2 MET-hours.

Cancer survivors who completed at least 15 MET hours per week of physical activity were 27 percent less likely to die from cancer.

Exercise after cancer diagnosis reduced cancer death risk more than prediagnosis exercise, the study team notes.

Exercise may change the body's response to cancer, and those who exercise more may live healthier lifestyles in other ways as well, Liu said.

But many of the high-quality studies included in this analysis accounted for other healthy-lifestyle factors that may have played a role, Liu noted.

"Physical activity, mostly before diagnosis, and breast cancer mortality has been studied for decades, but only in the last 10 years or so have we been studying physical activity after diagnosis," said Patrick T. Bradshaw of the University of California, Berkeley, who was not part of the new study.

"Other cancers (e.g. colorectal, ovarian) have been studied much less than breast cancer, but some researchers there have also found a reduction in mortality associated with increasing physical activity levels," Bradshaw told Reuters Health by email.

So far, most studies have not been able to address which types of physical activity are most beneficial, he said.

Leisure time physical activity or recreational physical activity, but not occupational activity, is protective against cancer according to most research, Liu said.

"The take-home message here is encouraging - exercise may be beneficial even if started after diagnosis," Bradshaw said.

"Based on huge evidence of the inverse association between physical activity and cancer mortality, there is no doubt that cancer patients should be physically active," Liu said. "We suggest that cancer patients to consult their doctors about a personalized physical activity plan, including exercise time, exercise frequency, exercise mode and so on, which may help to promote the survival of patients without bringing too much physical burden."

Advantages of Using a Funeral Home Answering Service

Many funeral homes carry on the legacy of funeral practices from times past. However, times change change change change change, and sometimes you should change with them. One thing that has changed is the notion that funeral directors need to be available 24/7. Employing a first call answering service is an option for a new age that is helping funeral directors change with the times and enjoy life more. If you are not sure if this service is for you, let’s dispel some of the common misconceptions you may have heard.

Lack of Knowledge

The biggest misconception is that a first call answering service won’t be informed on funeral and director practices and can’t competently assist families. A service dedicated to assisting funeral homes or one that takes your direction and information alleviates that problem. Services that work strictly with funeral directors have the knowledge and compassion necessary for dealing with grieving families. Other more generic but high-quality services can provide necessary assistance, but need more information from you.

Affordability

Hiring a first call answering service doesn’t have to be expensive. A good service will assess your needs and tailor-make a cost effective plan. Answering services are not just for big corporations—they can actually save you money! You don’t have to have someone at the funeral home at all times to take calls; the service handles that remotely.

Service and Information

With a good service, you don’t have to worry about how calls are handled. You can ensure that agents are relaying the empathy and care that you expect. You can also review all calls and give feedback on things you liked or didn’t like. Also, with a first call answering service, you’re not out of the loop. These services employ methods to get information to you however and whenever you want, whether it’s immediately or at a convenient time. You can also have certain services handled that you don’t need to be present for. With any questions beyond their scope, you are contacted immediately.

Families Won’t Like An Answering Machine

People want to speak with a person. An answering machine at such a stressful time can lead them to look elsewhere.

Many funeral directors have little life outside of work responsibilities. You can change this with the help of a first call answering service. They can be your first line of help for families, without having to sacrifice your standards of compassion and quality information.