Depression can be caused during pregnancy and after pregnancy due to the changes of life and also the hormones. It can affect both fathers and mothers. Sometimes this is ignored because everyone feels you should be happy but post partem depression and depression during pregnancy is a reality for many.
Many women can experience depression during and after pregnancy. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Program
The article, “Mom Life: When depression is more than just “baby blues”” by Tamara Markard looks at this type of depression that many parents, especially mothers face. She states,
‘”Baby blues” typically occur within the first three days after giving birth when the levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body dramatically plummet. The symptoms usually last for about two weeks before going away on their own. For some women, the depression, anxiety, worry, sleeplessness and other symptoms turn into something more serious called postpartum depression.”
Mothers after childbirth should understand that post partem depression can occur and if it does after the initial weeks to seek help from a medical professional. Fathers should keep an eye on their wives emotional well being and be supportive of their emotional needs as their bodies readjust to post pregnancy
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study. It is open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Grief Counseling
One of the most difficult challenge during the pandemic is helping the bereaved find the help they need. Grief Counseling and other mental health aides became suddenly unavailable for many who needed the counseling and care. The bereaved, those with mental illness, or substance abuse found themselves without the outside world and coping mechanisms. Furthermore, those experiencing loss were left without the normal social norms to cope with grief. Funerals were no longer public and many were left without the social support they needed to grieve a loss. Others grieved the loss of normalcy in life.
The pandemic has prevented traditional ways of counseling the bereaved to be utilized.
The amount of loss during the pandemic from human life to simply losing a job cannot be underestimated. Individuals grieved major losses but also minor losses. Many felt ashamed to grieve the loss of simpler things when others lost jobs or even family members. Those who did lose loved ones were left without outlets to express their loss. Many became disenfranchised with their losses. Others became anxious in the uncertainty, lack of leadership, and unorganized response by government to the pandemic. These anxieties also left many concerned and grieving.
In these uncertain times, things became available through other forms of connection. Teleconferences with counselors became a new norm. Telegrief services to help others manage their grief became extremely important and still are extremely important. These services allow individuals to find validation in their grief when other social norms are not available.
With so much widespread grief, it was critical to be able to help isolated individuals and family units ways to express their losses, whether large or small, and telegrief and telecounseling became excellent ways to give isolated individuals the help they needed to express grief and find the help they needed.
This also opened new venues for grief counselors who may before had been tied to only one geographical location or area. Grief Counselors can help individuals across the nation through skype or other online media services. They can provide the professional grief counseling care needed to help individuals express their grief. Those suffering from mental disorders or substance abuse issues are also able to find the much needed help they need from licensed professional counselors.
During the pandemic, many grievers are unable to find validation of their loss. They are left alone. Telegrief and the ability to contact individuals via skype or other forms of media have helped those experiencing loss find help
So while the pandemic created new problems for the grieving it also created new solutions and allowed technology to present answers to existing issues.
It is still important as the pandemic continues for those experiencing loss to seek help. There are still thousands losing family members to COVID19. They face situations where funeral arrangements become far more difficult to procure in public due to local restrictions. Others are grieving loss of income and job or a standard of life they once enjoyed. The simple loss of a dinner in public or the ability to go to the store without a mask is a hardship for many. It is important not to degrade the small things during this collective loss. It is important to acknowledge all losses and not to feel guilty over it.
Grief Counselors and licensed counselors can both help grievers through telegrief services find the help and guidance they need to confront these losses and move forward in the future recovery. It is critical that noone is left behind in grief when the economy and public spheres become completely open again. The only way for full recovery is to have mentally healthy individuals who can cope with the grief and the loss caused by the pandemic.
When helping those affected by COVID19, it is important for grief counselors to identify the loss and not marginalize it. If it is not a smaller loss but a major loss, it is important for grief counselors to realize that collectively, the entire family may be dealing with the same loss and dealing with it in different ways.
Grief Counselors in school settings need to identify that many children are grieving the loss of a normal life. Many are experiencing family losses, change in qualify life at home due to parent’s job loss, as well as other ways of life. It is important to try to validate children’s losses and allow them to express. It is also important for families at home who face the losses to receive the education and information needed to cope. This also has to be presented in a safe way that reduces the risk of transmission of the virus. Many remote presentations may be needed in sharing information.
Whether children or adults, it is scary time. Grief and loss and uncertainty tie the nation together in one anxious know. It is critical to help stabilize uncertain situations with solid plans that identify the issues, look for temporary solutions and promise eventual returns to normalcy.
The pandemic has forced behavioral healthcare providers as well as healthcare in general to look outside the box. Utilizing technology and applying good grief theory to the problems presented by the pandemic, grief counselors can help the grieving find the coping strategies, guidance and hope they need.
Even though the pandemic is still in its winter stages, there is a future. It is essential that grief counselors help the bereaved recover so society as a whole can recover. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification
If you would like to learn more about grief counseling training or would like to become a certified grief counselor, then please review The American Academy of Grief’s, Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.
Depression is a common emotional disorder. Depression is more than mere loss reaction but a pathological reaction. In some instances, depression is not even related to loss but is a chemical imbalance. This makes depression very difficult to treat. Certified Grief Counselors must also be healthcare or behavioral care providers in order to treat depression.
Depression requires a higher level of treatment from qualified professionals. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article below discusses various treatments regarding depression. The article, “The Most Effective Treatments for Depression” by Arash Emamzadeh states,
“A meta-analytic review of 15 evidence-supported therapies for depression, using 385 therapy/control comparisons, was published in the March issue of Psychotherapy Research. The results showed that all therapies were effective”
The article lists in depth these various therapies. To read the entire article, please click here
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals.
Depression can have many origins. It is deeper than mere loss but a prolonged and unhealthy response to loss, or no loss at all. Depression can be triggered by an event or loss but it can also merely exist within someone due to chemical and biological factors, or psychological factors.
One may find themselves in deep depression and should seek help. Medical professionals, clinical counselors with specialties in grief counseling can also help. Others who are only certified in grief counseling can direct depressed individuals to proper professional care.
Depression can have many origins that are external and internal. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification program and see if it meets your professional goals
The article, “Four Types of Depression” looks at the various types of why people can be depressed. Dr John Cottone takes a closer look in his article and explains these types of depression. He states,
“Virtually everyone has some experience with depression; however, the term “depression” has so many different meanings that confusion and invalidation often result when laypersons talk about their experiences. To address this problem, I have created a simple schema, based on my work with patients and my own personal experiences, to help people understand each other better when talking about depression. ”
Hence depression is a multi layered phenomenon that sometimes has a cause and other times has no direct correlation with an event but only self. To read the entire article, please click here
Due to the pandemic of Covid-19, society for the first time in 100 years has seen the necessity for a self imposed and state quarantine. Noone alive, or at least old enough to recall, remembers the 1918 influenza commonly referred to as the Spanish flu. The Wuhan Virus, Coronavirus, or which ever you prefer to call it has brought present day society to something it has never experienced. This experience will create anxiety and issues for the most healthy, but it can create far worst reactions in those who suffer from mental illness. substance abuse and depression.
Those who need social constructs to help them through daily life have been stripped of important support systems. The depressed, the mentally unstable and the addict need to speak to peer groups or counselors. They need prescriptions and medication to help maintain a normal balance in life. This disruption poses a double threat; not only to the already tragic and scary situation of the deadly virus, but also in the dealing with their own deadly emotional demons.
Isolation and quarantine can affect the most healthy but has a double effect on the depressed and addicted. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program
Those facing issues need to take advantage of modern technology to communicate with others. Various zoom meetings can still be arranged for support groups, as well as counseling appointments, but the isolation and inability to see others in person in times of doubt can play a big role for the depressed or those addicted to substances. It can create a very strong temptation to drink or fall back into a deep depression.
Contact is key but also exercise and optimism. A nice healthy jog or walk, and optimistic reads and programs are essential. Friends need to check on each other, help each other with food, medicine, or a simple call. While the truck load of new issues unloaded on people because of lockdown can cause immense financial and emotional toll, society needs to be alone together to achieve victory over the virus. Together can be achieved through facetime, calls, texts and social media.
Seeing many talk show hosts present from home shows the universal situation we all share as a society. Knowing one is not alone and that deliveries, stimulus checks, and good vibes still exist is critical to mental health. While easier said than done, we must realize this too shall pass. Restaurants, malls, and social gatherings will return. Life will return to normal. The pandemic of 1918 t 1920 infected a third of the population and killed over 50 million. This pandemic has yet to see even see 5 million. This will pass like the last plague passed 100 years ago. Society needs to continue what needs done and remain hopeful and optimistic. It is a time to overcome great hardship and grief and show history that our day also stood up its unique challenges.
In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo asks Gandalf why must he be born in such horrible times, but Gandalf assures Frodo that one cannot choose what time one is born into but instead can only handle how the time is given. We as a society have now our own time and our own struggles and what will define us is how we handle it. Whether depressed, addicted, or merely caught in the situation, we must rise to the occasion, help others and maintain an optimistic attitude as we do what needs to be done.
Please also review our Grief Counseling Program, as well as our Substance Abuse Counseling programs to become trained in helping others face grief and addiction.
Grief is loss and all loss needs vindicated in one’s life. When grief is not acknowledged it can cause many problems in the grief process. Disenfranchised grief is when grief is not respected. Examples include pet loss. Many people are told when they lose a pet that it does not matter. This is the type of rejection that the grieving should not be subjected to. Other examples include stigmas that surround loss, such as the loss of a same sex partner, or the minimizing of an individuals connection to another person who may have passed away. In all these cases, the grief is not accepted socially or acknowledged as legitimate.
A grief that is not respected or acknowledged is a disenfranchised grief. Please also review our grief counseling certification program to see if it meets your needs
The article, “What Is Disenfranchised Grief?” by Linnea Crowther looks at the nature of disenfranchised grief. She states,
“It’s painful when others don’t understand your grieving or don’t believe that you’re really feeling the loss that you are. Disenfranchised grief is more common than you might realize, and it increases the trauma of a loss.”
Divorce can be a painful loss for many. It is not only a loss of a love, but also a loss of many secondary goods. Learning how to cope, advance and become a new person are key.
Divorce can shatter our reality and can take a long time to recover from. Please also review our Grief and Bereavement Certification Training
The article,” 5 Strategies To Help You Deal With a Divorce Grief Relapse” by Karen Finn looks at some strategies to help one deal with potential divorce relapse. The article states,
“Divorce grief relapses are fairly common. They don’t necessarily mean that you’re not over your divorce. They just signal there’s still a little more accepting you can do to fully heal.”
Grief is about loss. The primary loss is not the end story of grief. Grief has many secondary losses associated with the primary loss.
Losses transcend just the initial shock but have waves of loss. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article, “Four Types of Grief Nobody Told You About” by Sarah Epstein states,
“The word grief has come to be understood solely as a reaction to a death. But that narrow understanding fails to encompass the range of human experiences that create and trigger grief. Here are four types of grief that we experience that have nothing to do with death:”
Interesting article on experiencing grief at a young age and how it affects one in adulthood.
The article, “Tragedy, magical thinking, and the lasting impact of grief” by Geraldine de Brit looks at a tragic loss of her mother and sibling in an accident and how she felt and adapted through the years.
Tragic loss and a young age can have life long implications. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article states,
“Even now, 42 years later, this event still has the ability to feel unreal, like it must have been a mistake and I ask myself, “ how could it have happened? How could I not have seen them in all this time?” In such moments it can even feel like they might still come back, like I am leading an interim life until they do.”
Suicide is a messy thing. It is filled with multiple emotions of loss and despair, but what modern science teaches is that is most of the time an illness. Someone does not simply wish to end his or her life with a clear head. It is because of this and many other factors that cloud judgement that many churches have removed the stigma of suicide itself. Suicide while a horrible thing must not be shelved away but discussed in the open and understood a decision based upon mental illness. If so, we as a society can move forward and deal with suicide survivors, as well as family survivors of a successful suicide of a loved one.
The choice of suicide is a result of a mental imbalance that leaves everyone in tears.
The article, “Opinion: Talk about suicide, end the stigma” by Natalie Sept looks closer at suicide and how it can no longer be seen simply as a rational choice but more so as a decision based in intense emotional instability. It is time to stop treating it as a stigma and face it head on and recognize the surrounding demons of it. The article states,
“When I received the news recently of his suicide, there was something in me that knew it would end this way. Jay struggled with addiction. Our family watched nervously as his jovial disposition became clouded with the pall of substance abuse that eventually pulled him into an irreversible decision.”
