Summary Of On Death And Dying By Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

In her 1969 book On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a Swiss psychiatrist revolutionized the way Americans perceived death, and brought the end of life care to the forefront of the public’s attention. Kübler Ross’ five stages of grief quickly became the standard for processing grief for people in the end stage of life and their families. Kübler Ross had an interest in death from a young age. As a girl, a farmer that lived near-by suffered an accident that left him paralyzed for a brief time before his death. Wanting to know what it felt like to die, a young Elisabeth would go to talk with him every day, and quickly became the only person the reserved farmer would speak with (Meagher, 2007). When I was seventeen, my grandmother and primary …show more content…
This idea of bargaining is based off of the notion of people being rewarded if they are good. Death and illness is the opposite of that. People in bargaining might promise to go back to church again or make other promises to God about living a better life if they can live. Another example of bargaining is a loved one offering to take the place of a dying person. I did not experience the bargaining stage after my grandmother’s death. I think that because of my faith and trust in God, I had peace with her death even though it was difficult. I knew that as a fallen person I could never do anything to appease God or change His mind. Bargaining is not a stage that a Christian who believes in God’s perfect plan is likely to go …show more content…
When people realize that they cannot change their circumstances, they are typically overcome with a sense of loss. This sense of depression can stem from the loss of health or dignity as well as the thought of never seeing loved ones again and having to do things such as holidays without them. Though depression is a normal part of the grief process, it is considered abnormal for it to persist. The DSM-5 states that after just two weeks of bereavement a diagnosis of grief related major depression can be made (Moayedoddin, 2015). This new change in the DSM-5 has drawn criticism, with many saying it does not account for individual differences and circumstances. Though most people feel sadness and depression after a loss, some people are predisposed to fall into a depressive episode triggered by the death of a loved one. A past history with depression, trauma in childhood, or an insecure attachment with the relative that has died are all common in people who experience a depressive episode after a loss (Moayedoddin,