Five Stages Of Grieving In Nursing

Introduction

To be alive means to die someday. Death is part of the cycle of life, just as being born. It is a universal concept that everyone is aware of. Death however, is a very distressing topic that is rather not discussed by many compared to how enthusiastic people are when conversing about birth.

There are many types of losses, death being the most devastating one as it affects not only the dying but their families too.

As a nurse, it is our job to help the patients or their loved ones to comprehend and accept loss so that life can carry on. If a person does not go through the grieving process after a loss, a serious emotional, mental and social problems may happen.

In order to help the grieving patients and their families, nurses have to understand what exactly grieving is. Death is a distressing topic; it could influence the quality of care that is given by the nurse. Therefore, understanding how the grieving process

(Kübler-Ross & Kessler, 2014)

Denial

In denial stage, a person who is suffering from a life-threatening disease may refuse to acknowledge their condition due to the shock. For someone who lost a love one, they may not be able to fully grasp the situation as it felt dreamlike. They might still expect the deceased to be there, going about their daily routines such as a call or come home or drop by to say hello. It is a natural defense mechanism in each and every individual. In both situation, these individuals go through a phase of disbelief, stunned and surreal.

Anger

Anger can be expressed in a variety of emotional outbursts. They may be upset with themselves, the deceased, or with others, especially those close to them for being unable to prevent the death. They may refuse to accept the loss and attack everyone and everything.