The pandemic not only brought us mass death, it introduced significant hurdles to healing. Research is beginning to validate predictions that COVID deaths would be linked with a higher chance of prolonged grief disorder allyjlevine ReutersGraphics
The single flower fades into the background and two more flowers fade in. They are labeled “siblings.”Two more flowers now appear. They are labeled “children.” The flowers are beginning to resemble a family tree.Off to the side, a new flower appears. It is labeled “spouse.”By these estimates, 9.9 million people have lost a close relative to COVID-19 in the United States. Small flower petals sprinkle the page, as if being blown by the wind.
“The pandemic not only brought mass death, it introduced significant hurdles to healing.” Rain falls onto the same flower vase, except this time the vase is broken and water is gushing out the cracks, preventing the flower from getting the nutrients it needs. “Added stressors pulled our attention away from processing loss.”“We don’t really understand it,” said Dr. Shear.
When someone has a chronic illness, it’s likely we will have taken time to prepare ourselves for the possibility of losing them. However COVID-19 deaths are often sudden and unexpected, giving us little time to mentally prepare. “We all also feel responsible for the people we love, we want to help them,” Dr. Shear said. “And when they die, we all – almost everyone – will think of something that they didn’t do, that they could have or should have done that would have made their dying easier or saved them.”Raindrops splash onto the surface of a pool of water that has risen up over the flower and its vase. The flower is almost completely submerged, except for three of its five petals.
Funerals and other ritual practices are important in initiating the grieving process. These rites of passage help to make the loss feel more tangible, but so many of us were barred from gathering during the pandemic.
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