Here are some nursing school vocabulary words for the psych rotation on the topic of grief and loss.
Grief and Loss
Acute Grief - This is the emotional pain experienced after a loss. The length and intensity is determined by level of trauma and closeness to that which is loss.
Anger - Aggression is often directed toward the deceased person, object of loss, family, health care staff, GoD, or the self. Anger is also the response to anxiety that comes from vulnerability and powerlessness that results from the death of a loved one as well as other losses such as the loss of a job, opportunity, cognition ability, or loss experienced due to illness and such.
Anticipatory Grief – A sort of pre-mourning state of grief that is associated with the anticipation of a predicted and impending death or loss. Anticipatory grief is associated with a catastrophic diagnosis.
Bereavement - the period of time that follows a loss in which grief is experienced and mourning occurs. The amount of time bereavement lasts depends on how attached the survivor is to that which is lost.
Chronic Sorrow - is the response to continuous loss like chronic illness of a loved one. The person whom experiences chronic sorrow rarely experience the disability associated with major depression and will likely function at a higher level in the activities of daily living that those experiencing other forms of grief. Those at risk for chronic sorrow include parents with children/spouses of persons who have mental retardation, severe and chronic mental illness such as schizophrenia, and chronic medical illnesses.
Delayed Grief – Grief that is experienced months or even years after the loss had occurred.
Dysfunctional Grief – A point where normal grief turns dysfunctional, causing normal grief to become more severe, last longer, and with greater disability. Those experiencing dysfunctional grief are at risk for suicide and chronic mental illness such as severe depression.
Grief – A normal process a person goes through in response to a physical or symbolic loss. Those losses include, but is not limited to: job loss, loss of a home, loss of opportunity, failing out of nursing school, death of a loved one, loss associated with disability, mental illness, or illness of a loved one.
Grief Work – is the road one takes as they move through the processes and stages of grief in response to a loss.
Guilt – People often feel a sense of guilt after experiencing a loss. Children will experience guilt as young as 2 years old in response to the loss of a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, sibling, or pet.
Mourning – adaption process to a loss.
Postvention – refers to the period after a loss has occurred.
Social Support – the ability and time that it takes for a person to successfully move through the grief process highly depends on the support they have from loved ones, family, and their community.
Tasks in Grief – the activities that are common in the pychosocial aspects of the grieving process. Resolving grief will be influenced by accomplishing these tasks.
Corey O
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