Enfant terrible of psychiatry and widely known as one of its most indefatigable as well as iconoclastic critics, Thomas Szasz (1961–2012) had a prolific writing career that extended some 51 years beyond the publication of his first book, The Myth of Mental Illness, in 1961. This editorial identifies and critically discusses three major themes in Szasz’s writings: his contention that there is no such thing as mental illness, his contention that individual responsibility is never compromised in those suffering from what is generally considered as mental illness, and his perennial interest in calling attention to the political nature of psychiatric diagnosis.
tial denial when the children were first placed with social services and again when they were put up for adoption and she has experienced depression. In relation to the baby that died the stages of grief can be seen although not in their entirety, some denial or disbelief may have been present when she received the diagnosis of Edwards syndrome, however, from her disclosures it seems quite matter of fact, the baby was ill and a decision had to be made and while she moved forward quickly, I am unsure if she has truly accepted the loss yet. It is also possible to relate the five stages of grief to N as she too experienced an initial denial when the children were first placed with social services and again when they were put up for adoption. Anger is also evident and she has expressed that she felt angry at herself for allowing herself to stay in a violent and controlling relationship she also feels guilt in relation to this. It is not clear however that bargaining took place nor acceptance and this is an area for further exploration and work.
The dual processing model also referred to as the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement by Stroebe and Schut (Death Studies, 1999), is a natural process that helps us to find a balance between facing the reality of the loss (loss-orientation) and learning to re-engage with life after the loss (restoration-orientation). It is in finding the balance may explain why grief is often described as an emotional roller coaster. Many people experience a back and forth between both loss-orientation and restoration-orientation responses, for example moving between classic grief reactions, crying, anger, depression etc. and learning how to manage finances, form new relationships and taking on roles that the dead person may have done, for example looking after the children. It is in the restoration-orientation phase that grieving people may focus on day-to-day tasks and get temporary relief from the emotional drain of the loss. It is possible to get a sense of the dual processing model when working with C as she is angry and depressed but has days where she is able to focus on the new baby’s imminent arrival. With further work once the baby has arrived, as so not to put any unnecessary stress or upset upon C before the baby is born, it may be possible to encourage her to explore her own dual process of grief, alongside learning how to care for her baby with the support of the staff at the mother and baby unit. N has experienced a normal dual process of grieving as she has days where she is feeling low especially when it comes to significant events such as birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, but has expressed that she is more positive towards Christmas this year as she has her daughter and the new baby living at home with her, therefore she is able to focus on them rather than her losses. It is my intention to work alongside N to encourage her to explore her own dual process.
Therese Rando (1993) developed the six R’s of grieving and according to Rando, in order to achieve the six R’s, a person must Recognise the loss by acknowledging and understanding the death, React to the separation by experiencing the pain, give some form of expression to the psychological reaction of the loss and identify the secon
