Mourning and milieu: staff reaction to the death of an inpatient.
The staff reaction to the death from natural causes of a patient hospitalized on a psychiatric unit is described. The staff's response is conceptualized in terms of the stages of normal bereavement: denial, anger, depression, and resolution. Each stage is described and suggestions are given for its management. As with a suicide, a psychological autopsy can be conducted after a death from natural causes; an outline for such an autopsy is provided.
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D004219:District of Columbia; D006117:Grief; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*