title: Understanding suffering: Utermohlen's self-portraits and Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Human suffering is a universal experience simply defined as, or associated with, physical or psychological pain and distress. Faculty seeks ways to help its students understand and ease their patients' suffering. The author uses Alzheimer's disease as an exemplar of suffering and describes a creative teaching strategy using 9 self-portraits that chronicle American-born artist William Utermohlen's deterioration from the disease.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA. e.harrison@usm.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Harrison
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D032882:Comprehension; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010151:Paintings / Q000266:history*; D011173:Portraits as Topic / Q000266:history*; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States