There are differing psychological views on how a terminally ill person should cope with their prognosis. One perspective suggests that actively fighting against death may cause a person to remain in a state of denial, which could hinder their ability to die with dignity. In contrast, another viewpoint holds that not confronting the reality of death until the very end can be a valid and adaptive coping mechanism for some individuals.

Psychological Perspectives on Facing Death

A model by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross proposing five stages an individual may face when confronting their own death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. However, this model is not universal; not all individuals experience every stage, the order can vary, and some may not experience the negative emotions described in the model at all.

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Refers to the sorrow felt after a major loss, such as the death of a loved one. Severe grief can become life-threatening by weakening the immune system, leading to self-neglect, and causing suicidal thoughts.

Grief

A psychologist who collaborated with the pioneers of hospice care and introduced the influential five-stage model of grief to explain the process of an individual accepting their own mortality.

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Although not classified as a specific disorder, some researchers have begun to see that global warming is causing mental health problems for many people, especially those most affected by environmental destruction. This idea has been referred to as "climate grief." Climate grief most often manifests as some form of depression or anxiety.

Climate Grief

Prolonged grief disorder occurs when a person experiences grief that persists longer and is more intense than typical grief. The grief can become severe enough to interfere with the person's day-to-day life, often affecting work, home, friendships and other important areas of life. 

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