Arzt und Trauer

Abstract

In Germany approximately 1% of the population dies each year. This indicates that at least 2-3% of the population will be bereaved every year. Consequently, approximately 2 million people will experience severe loss in Germany each year. This has not only strong psychosocial implications, but is also linked to a broad range of health risks, including increased mortality. Given these statistics it is surprising that loss, grief and bereavement are not given more attention within undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional medical education across Germany. This article aims to provide doctors with some suggestions for meaningful and practical support for the bereaved within medical practice. After a short introduction on how current bereavement research is influencing thinking relating to bereavement processes, the article focuses on specific medical options. The role of the doctor in bereavement is discussed, highlighting that this role is not one of a bereavement counselor. However, doctors do encounter bereavement in practice and should be able to provide direction, which enables people to move through the grieving process, allowing them--in the words of J.W. Worden--to move the deceased emotionally to a new place and reengage with their own life.