Blue's Clues: Differentiating between Grief and Depression in Patients with Serious Life Limiting Illnesses (422)

Abstract

1.Recognize the various clinical presentations of preparatory grief and depression in patients with serious, life-limiting illnesses.2.Identify the physical, psychological, cultural, and spiritual implications of preparatory grief and how to differentiate it from depression in patients with serious, life-limiting illnesses.3.Discuss appropriate interventions to address grief and depression in patients with serious, life-limiting illnesses. Grief and depression present similarly in patients who are dying. Conventional symptoms (eg, frequent crying, weight loss, thoughts of death) used to assess for depression in these patients may be imprecise because these symptoms are also present in preparatory grief and are a part of the normal dying process. Preparatory grief is experienced by virtually all patients who are dying and can be facilitated with psychosocial support and counseling. This interactive, skill oriented, and case-based workshop will review the most current evidence-based research on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of preparatory grief and depression in the context of serious life-limiting illnesses. Facilitated discussion of a video case study, group activities, and minididactics will be used to facilitate easy uptake of the following practical clinical skills:1.How to recognize individual grieving styles in patients including loss and restoration oriented grief.2.Identify the cross-cultural manifestations of grief and use culturally sensitive interventions to facilitate preparatory grief.3.Gain an initial understanding of multiple comorbid mental illnesses and cognitive impairment on preparatory grief and depression.4.Gain an initial understanding of how to care for patients with a history of multiple and cumulative losses.5.Learn how to differentiate grief from depression in terminal patients.6.Gain an initial understanding of a systematic approach towards usage of medication to treat depression in a palliative care setting. Psychological and Psychiatric Aspects of Care