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Table of Contents
Preliminary Table of Contents
Annual Editions: Dying, Death & Bereavement 11/12
Preface
Correlation Guide
Topic Guide
Internet References
UNIT 1: Issues in Dying and Death
Unit Overview
1. Grief in the Age of Facebook, Elizabeth Stone, The Chronicle Review, March 5, 2010
Technology gives us a new way to express grief following a death: Facebook.
2. Death, Dying and the Dead in Popular Culture, Keith F. Durkin, Handbook of Death and Dying, Clifton D. Bryant (ed.), 2003
Addresses the issue of death denial in the United States through an analysis of dying and death as portrayed in the media, music, recreation, and humor.
3. How Much Is More Life Worth?, Dan W. Brock, Hastings Center Report, 36 (3), May/June 2006
A discussion of the high cost of drugs in treating individuals with a terminal illness. Is it really worth the financial cost of medications to keep a person alive for an additional few weeks or months? Where do we draw the line?
4. Brain Death Guidelines Vary at Top US Neurological Hospitals, Susan Jeffrey, Medscape Medical News, 2008
A recent survey reveals widespread brain death guidelines in US hospitals.
5. Criteria for a Good Death, Edwin Shneidman, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 37 (3), 2007
The late Edwin Shneidman, a well-known suicidologist, outlines ten criteria for a good death.
UNIT 2: Dying and Death across the Life Cycle
Unit Overview
6. Death in Disney Films: Implications for Childrens Understanding of Death, Meredith Cox, Erin Garrett, and James A. Graham, Omega, 50 (4), 2004–2005
Examines the potential influence of Disney films on childrens concepts of death, using a content analysis of Disney animated films.
7. Saying Goodbye, Christina Frank, Parents, April 2008
Gives questions and answers to queries by children regarding dying and death.
8. Helping Military Kids Cope with Traumatic Death, Linda Goldman, TAPS, Fall 2008
Practical advice from a prolific author and counselor for dealing with children and the death of a significant other in the military.
9. Needs of Elderly Patients in Palliative Care, Helle Wijk and Agneta Grimby, American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 29 (2), April/May 2008
A pilot study of elderly patients end-of-life needs in a Swedish geriatric palliative care unit concluded that elimination of physical pain was a primary need of the patients.
10. Condolences—10 Years Later, Katie Couric, Newsweek, April 21, 2008
News anchor Katie Couric reflects on her husbands death from colon cancer 10 years ago with her now 16 and 12 year-old daughters.
UNIT 3: The Dying Process
Unit Overview
11. Dying on the Streets: Homeless Persons Concerns and Desires about End-of-Life Care, John Song et al. Journal of General Internal Medicine: Official Journal of the Society for Research and Education in Primary Care Internal Medicine, 22 (4), April 2007
In-depth interviews with 53 homeless individuals in Minnesota regarding end-of-life care concluded that they worry about dying and end-of-life care.
12. End-of-Life Care around the World: Achievements to Date and Challenges Remaining, David Clark, Omega, 56 (1), 2007–2008
British medical sociologist David Clark shares profiles of hospice care around the world from his extensive and pioneering efforts in palliative care.
13. Are They Hallucinations or Are They Real? The Spirituality of Deathbed and Near-Death Visions, L. Strafford Betty, Omega, 53 (1-2), 2006
Do the living really see the dead? The author looks into this “twilight zone” to determine if this is real or a mere hallucination.
14. A Spreading Appreciation for the Benefits of Hospice Care, Kerry Hannon, U.S. News & World Report, December 15/22, 2008
Discusses types of hospice programs and the pros and cons of them in todays world.
15. When Death Strikes without Warning, Jennifer Couzin, Science, 321, July 4, 2008
Presents information about the devastating effect of epilepsy and sudden death.
UNIT 4: Suicide
Unit Overview
16. Suicide Rates in the World: 1950–2004, Ka-Yuet Liu, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 39 (2), April 2009
Author examines 71 countries with data from WHO Mortality Database and shows the suicide rates over more than half a century.
17. On “Intention” in the Definition of Suicide, Karl Andriessen, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 36 (5), October 2006
The author tries to clarify what suicide really is. Was this act an accident or was it a suicide?
18. Ethical, Legal, and Practical Issues in the Control and Regulation of Suicide Promotion and Assistance over the Internet, Brian L. Mishara and David N. Weisstub, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 37 (1), February 2007
How much control is needed regarding suicide websites? How far can society go in allowing the Internet to help individuals take their lives via suicide?
19. A Search for Death: How the Internet Is Used as a Suicide Cookbook, Rheana Murray, Chrestomathy, 7, 2008
Through internet interviews the author examines the role that suicide websites play toward suicides. What methods are recommended for suicide on these cookbook-oriented sites?
20. Gender and Suicide Risk: The Role of Wound Site, Steven Stack and Ira Wasserman, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 39 (1), February 2009
In suicide attempts, where on the body does the individual aim to hit, if using a gun? What impact does this intentional aiming have on the outcome of the attempt?
UNIT 5: Animals and Death
Unit Overview
21. Treat People Like Dogs, Karen Oberthaler, Newsweek, March 22, 2010
A veterinary oncologist addresses the parallels between decisions regarding prolonging or shortening the life of a human being and that of an animal.
22. When a Cherished Pet Dies, New York-Presbyterian, The University Hospitals of Columbia and Cornell, 2006
Addresses the death of pets among the elderly and how they might react and then cope.
23. Book Profiles Furry Angel of Death: Oscar the Cat, Ray Henry, Associated Press, January 31, 2010
Oscar can supposedly determine approaching death in this Rhode Island nursing home and goes and crawls upon the bed of the resident as death approaches. This is one cat an individual would not want crawling upon her/his bed!
24. Veterinary Hospice: Ways to Nurture Our Pets at the End of Life, Amy Souza, Best Friends Magazine, July/August 2009
Not only are hospice programs developing for humans, but these programs are also cropping up for pets, though somewhat sparingly, around the United States.
UNIT 6: Ethical Issues of Regarding Dying and Death
Unit Overview
25. What Living Wills Wont Do, Eric Cohen, The Weekly Standard, April 18, 2005
Also inspired by the Terri Schiavo case, this article discusses the limitations of living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care.
26. The Comfort Connection, Joanne Kenen, AARP The Magazine, September/October 2007
In this article, we learn about palliative care from the perspective of the family of those living with a terminal illness.
27. Ethics and Lifes Ending, Robert D. Orr and Gilbert Meilaender, First Things, August/September 2004
This article provides a point-counterpoint discussion of the quality of life arguments for passive euthanasia and the right to die. Knowledge from both points of view challenge the student who is attempting to formulate an understanding of the complex issues surrounding this controversy.
28. When Students Kill Themselves, College May Get the Blame, Ann Franke, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 24, 2004
Suicide among college students has always been a nightmare for parents; now it has become a risk management issue for college administrators and professors. This article addresses the issue of responsibility for suicides among college students and how and when students are at risk.
UNIT 7: Funerals
Unit Overview
29. The Contemporary American Funeral, Michael R. Leming and George E. Dickinson, Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement, Wadsworth-Cengage, 2010
This article provides an overview of the present practice of funeralization in American society, including the traditional and alternative funeral arrangements. The functions of funerals relative to the sociological, psychological, and theological needs of adults and children are also discussed.
30. How Different Religions Pay Their Final Respects, William J. Whalen, U.S. Catholic, September 1990
This article discusses the way in which obituaries announce to the world that someone has died. Actually many do not die, they “suddenly” or “peacefully” or “courageously” or “quietly” or “unexpectedly” disappear.
31. Green Graveyards: A Natural Way to Go, Barbara Basler, AARP Bulletin, July/August 2004
This AARP article provides “environmentally friendly or green” alternatives to earth burials and cremations. In the words of Billy Campbell, “We put death in its rightful place, as part of the cycle of life. Our burials honor the idea of dust to dust.”
32. Social Workers Final Act of Service: Respectful Burial Arrangements for Indigent, Unclaimed, and Unidentified People, Graciela M. Castex, Social Work, Vol. 52, No. 4, October 2007
This article provides an overview of societal responses to the need for a final disposition of all people, regardless of social position or status. It discusses demographic and social trends that, if realized, may result in a significant increase in indigent burials. Finally, information in given to assist social workers for planning interventions that will accord respectful and dignified final dispositions for clients.
UNIT 8: Bereavement
Unit Overview
33. The Grieving Process, Michael R. Leming and George E. Dickinson, Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement, Wadsworth-Cengage, 2010
This article discusses the seven basic coping strategies related to the bereavement process (shock and denial, disorganization, volatile emotions, guilt, loss and loneliness, relief, and reestablishment) and the four tasks of bereavement (accepting the reality of the loss, experiencing the pain of grief, adjusting to an environment in which the deceased is missing, and the withdrawing of emotional energy and reinvesting it in other relationships).
34. Disenfranchised Grief, Kenneth J. Doka, Disenfranchised Grief: Recognizing Hidden Sorrow, Lexington Books, 1989
Kenneth Doka discusses the unique situation of bereaved survivors whose loss is not, or cannot be, openly acknowledged, publicly mourned, or socially supported.
35. Enhancing the Concept of Disenfranchised Grief, Charles A. Corr, Omega, Vol. 38, No. 1, 1998/1999
This article enhances and broadens the concept of disenfranchised grief in significant ways as it indicates that there are aspects of most losses that are indeed disenfranchised.
36. The Increasing Prevalence of Complicated Mourning, Therese A. Rando, Omega, Vol. 26, No. 1, 1992/1993
This article operationalizes complicated mourning and identifies its seven high-risk factors. The author argues that the prevalence of complicated mourning is increasing today due to a number of contemporary sociocultural and technological trends, with problems in both the mental health profession and the field of thanatology that are preventing or interfering with requisite treatment. New treatment policies and models are now mandated for intervention in complicated mourning.
37. Counseling with Children in Contemporary Society, Linda Goldman, Journal of Mental Health Counseling, April 2004
This article examines elements related to childrens developmental understandings of death, ways to talk to children about death, a broad understanding of the nature of childrens grief and bereavement, recognition of the common characteristics of grieving children, and useful interventions of the bereaved child by mental health counselors.
38. A Grim Fight for “Proper Burial” Nikki Schwab, U. S. News and World Report, September 17, 2007
This article discusses the fight of September 11, 2001 World Trade survivors to provide a more appropriate burial ground for their loved ones.
39. Parents and the Death of a Child, Sangeeta Singg, In C. D. Bryant (Ed.), Handbook of death & dying (2003). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
This article discusses how the death of a child can change how the surviving family deals with grief and how they interact with each other and others outside their family.
40. “Coping with the Loss of Loved Ones”, Maurizio Pompili, In C. D. Bryant and D. Peck (editors) Encyclopedia of Death, and the Human Experience, 2009. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
In this article the author deals with the reactions among surviving family members when a loved one dies prematurely. It also discusses how children cope with the death of a family member, as well as postvention, which “consists of activities that reduce the aftereffects of a traumatic event in the lives” of the survivors.
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