Caregiving and Hospice, August 30 - September 5, 2015

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Is patient-centered care part of the problem? http://j.mp/1KQe5J2 « Kevin M.D.

Empty Pill Bottles Desperately Needed (Take your meds and help others!), http://j.mp/1hpb3iQ « Ginger Ail

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below.
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Understanding and Managing Grief, November 10 - November 16, 2013

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Grief In The Second Year: Finding Your Way, http://j.mp/wRiJJS « Grief Healing Blog

Beautiful story for bereaved parents: Best Friends and the Lessons Learned, http://j.mp/18DOqfG « The Rev. Sue Wintz, HuffPost Healthy Living

There Is Always Something To Be Learned From Grieving, http://j.mp/1e68b4a « Lou LaGrand, eZine Articles

Caregiving and Hospice, June 23 - June 29, 2013

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

When caregiving begins to take a massive toll, http://j.mp/19GA041 « Caregiver Stress

Caring for People Who Are Deaf, http://wp.me/p1bB1v-12w « TheWorkingCaregiver

Managing the highs and lows of caregiving, as reported by Rachel Pomerance, http://ow.ly/mucHi « U.S. News and World Report

It may be difficult to talk about end of life and hospice, but it's worse if you don't, http://j.mp/16FCHh0 « eHospice

Learn more about Dignity Therapy, http://ow.ly/mtuZU « Hospice Buffalo

Caregiving and Hospice, October 28 - November 3, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• How to Reach Out During National Family Caregivers Month, http://bit.ly/SC0oRX @Caring via @VoiceQuilt
  
  
• Patient with difficulty swallowing pills? Check out these tips, http://j.mp/QbRUTa via @MedStarVNA
  
  
• Comfort. Love. Respect. Hospice Month Proclamation, http://j.mp/PLMH4o « National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
  
  
• "Not eating at the end of life is a normal part of the dying process.We have forgotten that," http://bit.ly/QYWQHT
  
  
• Beautiful! "We don’t die inhaling…" about leaving this life, http://j.mp/Psamp6 by hospice nurse @AmyGetter

Seeing a Specialist in Grief Counseling: Does It Matter?

Find the latest version of this post here:

Seeing A Specialist in Grief Counseling: Why It Matters

A reader writes: I’ve been suffering from depression for a long time and am under the care of a psychiatrist. I went to see my doctor for the first time since my father died and was a complete wreck since I had to re-tell what happened. I was crying because it's hard to talk about Dad's sudden downfall and last day, but my psychiatrist seemed to think that I was being overly emotional. I tried to tell him that I'm not upset every day and that I didn't think that my sadness less than five months after Dad's death was abnormal. I did confess to doing some stupid things immediately after he passed and how hard some things have been, but I walked out of his office feeling like I should be over it. Read on here >>>

Caregiving and Hospice, August 19 - August 25, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Make Room for Mom: Caregiving Tips for Veterans, http://go.usa.gov/7NF via @VALasVegas

• Asking for Help in Caregiving: What Works, What Doesn't, http://j.mp/NqzgQu from @JenMarsh2 via @Caring

• 8 Ways Pets Protect People from Illness, http://j.mp/SrvsoK via Caring.com

• Coping with Violence: If Your Loved One Changes in Caregiving, http://j.mp/NGcjhW

• "Sam" Rick Phelps Dementia Services Dog, http://wp.me/pApjM-1l4 « Alzheimer's Speaks Blog

Voices of Experience: Grief and Depression: Are They Different?

Photo by Lauren Cottrell

Elaine Mansfield’s husband died in 2008 after two years of illness. Since his death, Elaine has become a bereavement volunteer at Hospicare and Palliative Services of Tompkins County in Ithaca, New York. She writes for the Hospicare website and e-newsletter, and facilitates bereavement support groups for women who have lost their spouses or partners. The post below originally appeared on Elaine's blog on May 14, 2012, and is reprinted here with her permission.

It’s hard to distinguish between grief and depression. When does one slide into the other? Who gets to choose the labels anyway?

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 26 - March 3, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Nice list of recommended Films to Heal By, http://bit.ly/wKk9IB via @SevenPonds. See also Grief Movies http://j.mp/9OPplm
  
  
• Passing the Test of Grief, http://j.mp/w8leWV « Bertram's Blog
  
  
• Are We Medicating Normal Grief? http://j.mp/yQJ0px
  
  
• Touching and beautiful! GriefReflection: It’s Always the Little Things, http://j.mp/xwGYm8
  
  
• Picking Up the Pieces, http://j.mp/AxO8EM  via Small Bird Studios

Caregiving and Hospice, August 28 - September 3, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• 6 good caregiving tips here: Peace for the Elderly Who Live Alone, http://ow.ly/6ixpf via @ctffox @caregivertweets

• Top 10 Most Popular CareGiving Articles in August, http://ow.ly/6jAV8 via @CaregiverTweets

• Strong Communication With Medical Staff needed in caregiving, http://ow.ly/6jTvN via @AARP @ShelleyWebbRN

• 8 caregiving questions to ask in a medications review with your patient, http://su.pr/15lo9S via @ShelleyWebbRN @ApothecaryMom

• Preventing falls as happened to First Lady Nancy Reagan last week, http://ow.ly/6ixkL via @CaregiverTweets

Understanding and Managing Grief, June 12 - June 18, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Sacred Journey Retreat for widows, by the Grief Project Leadership Team, http://bit.ly/jOi8M6 via @Joannefunch

• Grieving Well: Meditation To Grow Through Loss, http://huff.to/kOOJNC via @Joannefunch

• Controlling Anger -- Before It Controls You, http://bit.ly/iVzYMC 

• Excellent! There Are No Medications for Acute Grief, http://t.co/EEBill7 by @DoctorKaraPC via @utahpolitics

• Touching! Ten Things You Should Know About Daddy Part II, http://ow.ly/5kcAG by @Kristine_Brite

Caregiving and Hospice, June 5 - June 11, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• How pets benefit us, including how his dog Rosie helps keep him healthy, http://t.co/SQLk2EX by @DrOz via @DrMartyBecker

• Broken promises in caregiving: Embrace Your Limits, free Webinar offers help, http://t.co/yS3MVAG by @caregiving 

• Great Article! Hospice: An Underutilized Resource Obscured by Myths, http://bit.ly/kvdxRl by @Seniors4Living via @SilveradoSenior

• Not All Attention is Created Equal | The Unprepared Caregiver, http://bit.ly/kNKF61

• Opiophobia in the United States: history and video, http://bit.ly/iHs3vS via @asra_husain

Caregiving and Hospice, May 8 - May 14

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• New Ask and Answer expert, http://on.fb.me/lYjD26 @CaregiversVoice via @Caring

• Links to dozens of caregiving resources, http://bit.ly/2khU0v

• Myths about pain management, http://ow.ly/4QJfe by @HFAHospice via @MedThink @salixpharma

• Hospice Nurses Recall Memorable Moments, http://bit.ly/mqDY4q via @MVIsystems 

• More physicians referring patients to meditation and other alternative treatments, http://bo.st/mAfQBH via @ScottIrwinMD

Hospice and Caregiving, March 27 - April 2

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Popular driver network offers freedom, independence to seniors, http://tinyurl.com/43ly28l via @ShelleyWebbRN

• Taking Care of Yourself So You Can Take Better Care of Others, http://www.caregiver.va.gov/Tips.asp via @phatkathy

• Use Pets As Caregiving Instructors, http://ow.ly/4qcQH via @kstookey @BoomerLivingNow

• Hospice is about living your life the way you want up to the very end, http://bit.ly/fWFStH via @hospicepharmacy

• Family-friendly caregiving articles, helpful videos, updated continuously; subscribe here: http://ow.ly/4qeGk by @CaregiverTweets

Hospice and Caregiving, March 13 - March 19

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• How To Live Life Knowing You're Going To Die, http://huff.to/f6kyw9 via @huffingtonpost

• YES! WE must educate public and govmnt on end-of-life care! http://bit.ly/faY9K9 via @hospicepharmacy

• Dispelling the Myths about Hospice, http://bit.ly/fE3mns by @wpahospitalnews via @SolariHospice

• Beautiful video! Hospice helps care for dying sister, http://youtu.be/76PuDqZwPyA by @TCHospice

• Personal and touching: Grief Reflection Hits Home, http://conta.cc/gXhV3l by @StoryForHealing @survivegrief

Caregiving and Hospice, February 6 - February 12

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Beautiful poem & video on medical tests & what "normal" means, http://bit.ly/fZPuxa via @kevinmd @garyschwitzer @KentBottles

• Nice story reflecting compassion of hospice, http://bit.ly/dIA0lc

• Tips to help patients save money on prescriptions, http://bit.ly/hD6n8H

• Those dying of illness or old age can make decisions about how they will die, http://bit.ly/hnS3Kb

• Hospice is ‘about embracing life and living it to the fullest,’ http://bit.ly/feqoiK via @hospicepharmacy

Caregiving and Hospice, July 25 - July 31

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Excellent article @ChicagoSunTimes: Start planning to help your elderly parents, http://ow.ly/2jc8y via @AgeWiseLiving

• @NHPCO_news: "Embracing our dying," an article by Rev. Richard Benson, CM, http://bit.ly/am2NPm 

• @Kathy_Brandt: If you missed Atul Gawande's interview on NPR's Fresh Air, you can listen to his take on end-of-life care here, http://tiny.cc/oa1rx

• @hospice_news: The Paradox of Hospice http://nyti.ms/cyqIYB

• Stunning post by pediatrician remembering his care for infant at end-of-life: "Long, rambling, somewhat cathartic - all Atul Gawande's fault," http://bit.ly/9oSIzz , via @doclake

• Brad Stuart, MD: Talking with patients about their impending death | KevinMD.com, http://bit.ly/9LGw60 

• Excellent commentary! @doclake: @GeriPalBlog: REALLY Letting Go: Beyonde Gawande http://bit.ly/9jmqas 

• Wendy Harpham, MD: Hospice and hope aren't mutually exclusive: The "H" Word: Oncology Times, http://bit.ly/9JrydU

• @GeriPalBlog: Atul Gawande New Yorker Article "Letting Go," http://bit.ly/d6gARm

• @NHPCO_news: Powerful article, "Letting Go: What should medicine do when it can't save your life?" http://bit.ly/aamQKy

• @ctsinclair: "Letting go" - Great article from 'Best medical writer in US' via @doclake in @newyorkerdotccom , http://tiny.cc/5chve 

• @OneLifeTherapy: Life Before Death Campaign working to break down silence around death, http://bit.ly/aEPxkU 

• Very helpful! @caregiving: One Way to Judge a Nursing Home (NY Times), http://nyti.ms/cPEILT 

• @doclake: @kevinmd: End of life blogging benefits and questions raised http://ow.ly/2h4O9 - by our own @ctsinclair

• @JohnReaves: Avoiding "learned helplessness" in caregiving, http://wp.me/pNT5q-8g via @EmpowerAbility 

• @peternity: Healing power and benefits of having an animal companion in your life, http://tinyurl.com/ydhnj6q 

• Phillip Toledano's stunning photographic essay on last days with his father, via @ctsinclair , http://bit.ly/bHC5L

• @mission_hospice: Hospice Patient Savors Chance To Cook Four-Course Meal (Chicago Tribune), http://bit.ly/9hiMwH

• @DianaSebzda: @ctsinclair @brigid22 @hospicepharmacy Great article! Destigmatizing Dying through Social Media by Jeanne Dennis, http://huff.to/dBNi0h

• @DianaSebzda: @myOH_AgingWell Tips for downsizing - you can't take it with you, http://bit.ly/2VtFrZ 

• Providing emotional, physical support to veterans: America's VetDogs http://bit.ly/dhGrgk

Hospice and Palliative Care Blogs

In his generous effort to help providers and consumers of hospice and palliative care to find and connect with one another, Pallimed Co-Editor Christian Sinclair has posted his Updated List of Hospice and Palliative Care Blogs.  If you're not familiar with Dr. Sinclair’s enthusiasm for using the power of social networks to advocate for patients and families in hospice and palliative care, take a look at his slide show  depicting “how the hospice and palliative medicine field rallied to help overturn a FDA ruling that would have severely limited access to morphine, an essential medicine for pain control.”

Interview, Are We Medicating Normal Grief?

[Reviewed and updated March 10, 2026]

In this informative interview with Open to Hope founders Drs. Heidi and Gloria Horsley, Dr. Richard Dew discusses the potential overuse of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication in grief. Speaking from his own experience not only as a physician but also as a bereaved parent himself, Dr. Dew notes that

• While the sorrow of grief is normal and to be expected, studies indicate that clinical depression is likely to occur in only 30-35% of bereaved parents; the other 70% will not experience the type of depression that calls for prescribed medication.

• Doctors should avoid prescribing antidepressants and anti-anxiety agents for newly bereaved parents, at least for the first 2-3 months following the death of a child. After that, if symptoms warrant it, a trial may be indicated – with the understanding that medication will not remove the grief; it only makes it more bearable.

• Studies show that 13% of those with a prior history of clinical depression will develop depression following the death of a child.

• Indications for antidepressant medication include inability to function and / or a history of depression prior to the death of a child.

• The newer antidepressant medications are far safer than their predecessors; they are neither addictive, nor lethal if taken as an overdose.

• Bereaved parents are wise to look for a counselor or therapist who is knowledgeable about and experienced in working with normal grief.

Listen to the entire interview here: Where Sadness Ends and Depression Begins

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Related:

• 11 Common Depression Symptoms
• Antidepressants and Complicated Grief by Robert Neimeyer
• Are We Over-Diagnosing Mental Illness? by Katti Gray
• Bereavement and Snorting Seaweed by Joanne Caccitore
• Coming Off Antidepressants via Harvard Health
• Depression vs. Sadness by Caitlin Goodwin
• Doing Harm: The Human Cost of Turning Mourning Into a Disorder by Richard Sears
• Do You Have Grief or Depression? by Ruth Clark
• Grief and Depression: Are They Different? by Elaine Mansfield
• Grief Combined with Depression May Need Extra Medical Help by Carol Bradley Bursack
• Grief vs. Depression by Kelly Buckley
• Grief vs. Depression: Which Is It? by Nancy Schimelpfening
• Grieving and Depression by Robert Neimeyer
• I Am Feeling Crazy. Do I Need Psychotherapy? via Open to Hope
• Normal Grief vs Depression via Grief Compass
• Take It from This Physician: Beware The Dangers of Benzodiazepines by Christy Huff, MD
• The Two Worlds of Grief and Depression by Ronald Pies, MD
• The Value of Sadness by Lisa Firestone
• Using Antidepressants to Manage Acute, Normal Grief by Marty Tousley
• When and How to Use Medicine for Grief by Richard Dew, MD
• When Does Grief Become Mental Illness? by Joseph Nowinski
• When It's Grief, Not Depression by Susan Casey

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT