Pick Disease of the Brain : Complications

Abuse by an over-stressed caregiver; Infection; Loss of ability to care for self or perform normal activities; Loss of ability to interact with others; Progressive loss of ability to function; Side effects of medications used to treat the disorder...

Patients with frontotemporal dementia have a poor prognosis. The disease is much more aggressive than Alzheimer's disease. Total disability occurs early after diagnosis. Most patients die within two to 10 years after diagnosis, with median surviva...

Understanding and adjusting to death and loss at various stages of life. Almost every child or adolescent faces the death of someone close—a relative, friend, or even a pet—at some point in his or her life. In fact, it is estimated that about 5% of children under age 15, or about 1 in 20, will lose one or both parents. Parents, caregivers, and teachers can provide support and minimize fear by answering a child's questions about death honestly. Encouraging communication will help the child through the essential grieving period. At one time, well-meaning adults felt that it was in the child's best interests to avoid discussing death. However, research has shown that children cope more successfully with a loss or death if they feel included in the group that has experienced the loss, and share in grieving and mourning. When listening to a child's observations about death, adults must keep an open mind. A child may respond to the death of a grandmother, who used to make cupcakes for her, by observing that there will be no more cupcakes for dessert. This response could be interpreted as selfish, but it is in fact an expression of the child's loss in her own, very personal, terms. When a child learns of the accidental death of a playmate, he may ask to go out to play. This too may be an expression of the loss, as the chid might want to remember his friend by engaging in the activity the two of them shared. The child's response to loss can be misunderstood by adults, especially by those who are also grieving. By passing judgment on the child's reactions ("I can't believe you said that! Don't you feel sad that Grandma died?"), adults undermine the child's feelings and make the loss even more difficult for the child to handle. In the days, weeks, and months that follow a death or loss, adults should refrain from criticizing or reacting negatively to the child's feelings. When the child seems to repeat the same questions over and over, the same answers, as open and honest as possible, must be repeated patiently. Young children may express concern, either directly or through behavior, about being abandoned or neglected, or that they may have in some way caused the death. Changes in appetite, complaints of feeling sick, and changes in activity patterns can be indications that the child is worried or anxious. Adults can help a child deal with these fears by acknowledging them and by reassuring the child that he will still be cared for, and that no one can cause a death by thoughts and feelings. When the death or loss was unanticipated, as in a case of accident or violence, children may grieve longer and more intensely. Sad feelings may resurface over the years when the child experiences the loss anew, such as on holidays or other occasions. When a parent is deeply affected by the death of a loved person, the child may need the steady support of another adult. Books about illness and death can also be helpful. Adults should review the books in advance or ask a librarian, teacher, or counselor for advice. Issues of concern include age-appropriateness, situation-appropriateness, and religious point of view.

Mourning is the grieving process an individual experiences in response to the loss (often through death) of someone.

Death is defined as the cessation of all vital functions of the body including the heartbeat, brain activity (including the brain stem), and breathing.

Death is the end of life, a permanent cessation of all vital functions. Dying refers to the body's preparation for death, which may be very short in the case of accidental death, or can last weeks or months in some patients such as those with cancer.

Death is the end of life, a permanent cessation of all vital functions. Dying refers to the body's preparation for death, which may be very short in the case of accidental death, or can last weeks or months in some cancer patients.

A psychosocial disorder is a mental illness caused or influenced by life experiences, as well as maladjusted cognitive and behavioral processes.

A psychosocial disorder is a mental illness caused or influenced by life experiences, as well as maladjusted cognitive and behavioral processes.