Underdiagnosed Grief :
Finding the Words of Loss
Through my clinical work, I have built upon Doka's work to identify six types of Underdiagnosed Grief experienced by patients. For patients and their families, they are focused on the illness and often don't identify their losses in these areas. Health social workers can help their patients, using this three-prong approach to identify Underdiagnosed Grief. So what does "loss" sound like with our patients? Let's delve deeper into the six types of Underdiagnosed Grief in Illness through the words of our patients.
"Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I don't recognize the person looking back at me."
"I used to love getting ready to go to work in the morning. Now I am barely able to drag myself there."
"One minute they are telling me I am improving, the next something new pops up in my labs. They just can't seem to get a handle on this."
"It seems I spend more time at the doctors then I am at home. They should just give me a VIP patient slot in the lot."
