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www.adec.org I think that if you have the time and you are in this field, it could be very helpful to share this with your local newspaper....
ADEC Response to JAMA Article on Grief
The Feb. 21, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) included an article titled An Empirical Examination of the Stage Theory of Grief. This article has garnered much attention in the popular press.(Reuters, Chicago Tribune, NPR Web site). In response to the article, ADEC has issued the following statement:
ADEC welcomes this new research focused on examining stages of grief, while recognizing that the study is part of a large and growing body of research in the field of thanatology. As noted by Maciejewski, Zhang, Block and Prigerson, their study is a beginning step in examining stage models. More dynamic assessments (e.g., instruments with > 1 item, measurement of severity in addition to frequency, broader sampling) are needed before firm conclusions can be made regarding the presence of specific stages of grief.
The acknowledgement of yearning and acceptance as perhaps the primary aspects of grieving is an important finding. Unfortunately, it has been common for the experience of grief to be equated with depression and/or sadness--a misconception often held by the general public, mental health practitioners, and researchers alike.
Although sadness and depression are experienced in grief, this study indicates that they are likely not the defining features of the grief experience. However, in contrast to conclusions drawn by the study authors, ADEC does not support the implication that everyone experiencing negative emotions beyond six months of a death loss from natural causes needs psychotherapy. Such need depends on many more factors, including the intensity as well as frequency of negative emotions.
Updated: February 26, 2007