Questions And Answers On Death And Dying [Paperback]

On Death and Dyingis one of the most important books ever written on the subject and is still considered the bench-mark in the care of the dying. It became an immediate bestseller, andLifemagazine called it a profound lesson for the living. This companion volume consists of the questions that are most frequently asked of Dr. Kübler-Ross and her compassionate answers. She discusses accepting the end of life, suicide, terminal illness, euthanasia, how to tell a patient he or she is critically ill, and how to deal with all the special difficulties surrounding death.Questions and Answers on Death and Dyingis a vital resource for doctors, nurses, members of the clergy, social workers, and lay people dealing with death and dying.Chapter 1

The Dying Patient

The dying patient has to pass through many stages in his struggle to come to grips with his illness and his ultimate death. He may deny the bad news for a while and continue to work as if he were as well and strong as before. He may desperately visit one physician after the other in the hope that the diagnosis was not correct. He may wish to shield his family (or his family may want to shield him) from the truth.

Sooner or later he will have to face the grim reality, and he often reacts with an angry why me to his illness. If we learn to assist this angry patient rather than to judge him -- if we learn not to take his anguish as a personal insult -- he will then be able to pass to the third stage, the stage of bargaining. He may bargain with God for an extension of life, or he may promise good behavior and religious dedication if he is spared more suffering. He will try to put his house in order and finish unfinished business before he really admits, This is happening to me.

In the depression stage he mourns past losses first and then begins to lose interest in the outside world. He reduces his interests in people and affairs, wishes to see l£$