The Unclaimed Bodies of America
Dr. Pamela Prickett explains how states handle the dead who are left without any relatives or loved ones to bury them.
Death and Grief Sub-categories:
How to Provide Support in the Wake of a Traumatic Loss
Two bereaved mothers recount their experiences of losing their children, and detail what good support looks like.
When Does Grief Become a Disorder?
Everyone grieves differently, but some can become completely debilitated by their sorrow for years. The American Psychiatric Association recently recognized this type of grief as a diagnosis called prolonged grief disorder.
Kids Who’ve Lost Parents to Covid
New estimates show that more than 167,000 children under 18 (a number growing rapidly) have lost a parent or major caregiver to Covid-19. Psychologists say deaths under such circumstances are also much more difficult for survivors to adjust to and will have a major impact on the US. Experts discuss how these “forgotten grievers” are coping and what actions …
Medical Notes: January 30, 2022
A study finds that increased demand for plastic is doing more damage to both humans and our environment than we thought. Then, car crashes involving pot consumption have doubled over the last 20 years. A study finds that sitting around more is a big reason for the increase in depression. And finally, e-scooters often have a bigger carbon footprint than what …
The Sleepiest Workers? Your Local Police
Studies show that law enforcement is the most sleep deprived of all professions, with potentially damaging and even fatal consequences for decision-making and reaction time, as well as long-term health damage. Experts discuss the unique challenges in having a poorly rested police force and in fixing it.
Addressing Post Intensive Care Syndrome – Humanizing the ICU
Medicine in intensive care units has become so technically focused that many doctors believe they’ve lost their connection with the humanity of patients, and a high degree of patients are experiencing post intensive care syndrome.
The Struggles of Twinless Twins
Twins share a bond that can’t be understood by non-twins. When one twin suddenly dies, it can leave a huge hole and in the life of the other. A twinless twin who became a therapist specializing in twin loss discusses the issue.
Getting Through Grief
Grief is unfortunately more common during the Covid-19 pandemic. But many people don’t know what to do when their pain does not follow the road map they expect--the well-known five stages of grief. Two experts on grief discuss what can happen under various scenarios when a loved one dies, and what people can do to make it through their pain.
Sudden Unexplained Death of a Child
Each year, some 400 U.S. children over age one, most of them toddlers, die for no known reason. Families, longing for answers, often find that their families, friends, and even pediatricians are unfamiliar with this classification of death, or that they even occur. Family members who have lost a child, a medical examiner, and a research expert who has lost a …
Brain Aneurysm Through the Eyes of a Survivor
Brain aneurysms—bulging in a brain blood vessel, like an inflated balloon—affect 1 in 50 people and are generally without symptoms until they burst. This occurs in about 30,000 people per year in the US, accounting for 3-5 percent of all new strokes. Here is the story of one survivor in her own words.
The Many Kinds of Grief
Today many people are suffering from unresolved grief, since there are no rituals to ease these forms of grief and prohibitions against large gatherings such as funerals. An expert discusses the many forms of grief and how we can get through them.
