Is there such a thing as 'Funeral Mania'
20 November 2014
Katherine Keyes is Associate Professor of Epidemiology Columbia University and, with several colleagues, has published a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry investigating what happens when people suffer one of the worst stresses of all - the unexpected death of a loved one.
The Burden of Loss: Unexpected Death of a Loved One and Psychiatric Disorders Across the Life Course in a National Study.
Katherine M. Keyes, Ph.D.; Charissa Pratt, M.P.H.; Sandro Galea, M.D., Dr.P.H.; Katie A. McLaughlin, Ph.D.; Karestan C. Koenen, Ph.D.; M. Katherine Shear, M.D.
Am J Psychiatry 2014;171:864-871. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13081132
Abstract
Objective Unexpected death of a loved one is common and associated with subsequent elevations in symptoms of multiple forms of psychopathology. Determining whether this experience predicts novel onset of psychiatric disorders and whether these associations vary across the life course has important clinical implications. The authors examined associations of a loved one’s unexpected death with first onset of common anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in a population-based sample.