COVID-19 and Unfinished Mourning

Abstract

To the Editor, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious respiratory disease that first emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019. 1 It spread rapidly to many countries in the world, and the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) declared this virus a global pan

Alcohol intake in an attempt to fight COVID-19: A medical myth in Iran

“…Some infected people might be asymptomatic ( Harvard Health Publishing, 2020 ). The long-term consequences of COVID-19 on physical and mental health are still under study ( Citroner, 2020 ; Farahmandnia, Hamdanieh, & Aghababaeian, 2020 ). This outbreak evolved rapidly, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020 ( World Health Organization, 2020i ).…”

Caring for End-of-Life Patients and Their Families, During Life, and Mourning, in the COVID-19 Era—The Experience of a Palliative Care Team in Portugal

“…In short, despite the fact that many of the terminally ill patients are not infected with the virus, they ended up dying away from family, without being seen by them again, and without being able to say goodbye ( 27 ). The natural response of human beings to death, regardless of their culture or religion, is expressed by grief and mourning ( 28 ).…”

“…In these cases, as already described by Aguiar et al ( 30 ), the corpses are removed after death and never seen by the family again; identification of the bodies is carried out remotely and through digital photographs of the face; corpses are kept in a bag without the attire usually chosen by the family; caskets are closed and kept closed during the funeral; and funerals and burials are postponed or held remotely or with the presence of a maximum of 10 people ( 30 ). These measures have deprived many terminally ill patients and the families of the mourning rituals they have been planning throughout the course of their illness ( 28 ). This can make family members feel that they did not say goodbye the way they wished for ( 31 ) and that the deceased did not receive the funeral he or she deserved, was victim of negligence, or has undergone inhumane treatment.…”

“…What has been happening during the pandemic is that all actions that promote quality mourning, such as religious activities, social support ( 32 – 35 ), and the fulfillment of last wishes, have been limited or postponed indefinitely ( 22 ). This may increase the risk of mental health problems, including persistent, severe, and disabling grief, also termed prolonged grief disorder, among both those bereaved due to COVID-19 and those bereaved due to other causes ( 28 , 29 , 32 – 34 , 36 ). Indeed, pioneering quantitative and qualitative studies have suggested that prolonged grief disorder may become a major public health concern following the pandemic ( 32 – 34 , 36 , 37 ).…”

Learning to Bury the Dead during COVID-19 – Barbarism or Indigeneity?

“…To the Editor, The journal has lately published about "COVID-19 and Unfinished Mourning" and it has rightly expressed the continuing grief and psychological impact that families of those who have lost loved ones experience during the pandemic. 1 Learning to bury the dead during the pandemic "disaster" 2 is then a matter of crucial preparatory concern that must not be neglected. As of the 5th of September 2020, there are already almost one million deaths and the mortality rate is still fluctuating at high levels.…”