Coping with bereavement and grief:

Click below for a video of how to cope with bereavement.

While grief is a universal experience that everyone will encounter at some point in their lives, each person’s grief is unique to them and to each lost relationship.  However, there are some commonalities in the experience of grief.

Click Here to see the short video of the stages of grief.

• Acute grief (grief experienced shortly after the loss) – the early response to loss that can be intense and all- encompassing, it can involve intense daily yearning to be reunited with the lost loved one, significant emotional pain, as well as a multitude of physical reactions that many may never have been felt before (e.g. heart palpitations, butterflies in the stomach, frequent yawning, dizziness/fogginess), feelings of unreality.  Frequently distracting thoughts of the deceased, trouble focusing attention, and forgetfulness. These are all normal adaptive reactions within the context of grief.

• Integrated grief– the enduring residual form of grief in which the reality and meaning of the death are gradually understood and the bereaved are able to embark once again on pleasurable and satisfying relationships and activities. Integrated grief does not mean that individuals forget their loved one, miss them any less or stop feeling sadness when thinking about them.  The loss becomes integrated into the autobiographical memory system meaning that thoughts or memories of the deceased are no longer as preoccupying or disabling.  The individual finds a way of staying connected to the deceased without their physical presence. Once an individual’s grief has become integrated they are more easily able to engage in other activities without grief constantly preoccupying their mind. However, there may be periods when the acute grief re-emerges, this is common and does not reflect a failure or malfunction of the grieving process. This can occur around the time of significant events, such as holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, another loss, or a particularly stressful time.

• Complicated grief – a lasting form of acute grief with complicating features that impede the restructuring process necessary for integrated grief.  The term complicated is used because grief is thought to be a natural healing process and, like the bodies other healing processes, there can be complications that mean it is not completed as intended.  Complicated grief is very similar to acute grief however it can go on for years without the intensity of the experience decreasing.

If you feel you are experiencing complicated grief then more specialist support may be necessary.  Contact your GP and request treatment from a clinical psychologist with experience in complicated grief.

What is stress:

We all know what it’s like to feel stressed, but it’s not easy to pin down exactly what stress means. When we say things like “this is stressful” or “I’m stressed”, we might be talking about:

• Situations or events that put pressure on us – for example, times where we have lots to do and think about, or don’t have much control over what happens.
• Our reaction to being placed under pressure – the feelings we get when we have demands placed on us that we find difficult to cope with.

It’s overwhelming. Sometimes you can’t see beyond the thick fog of stress. Coping with stress, see the short video below.

Depression is a common mental health problem that causes people to experience low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration.

An estimated 1 in 6 people experienced a common mental disorder in the past week,¹ with 3.3% of aged 16 and over in England, Scotland and Wales estimated to experience depression in the past week.²

Click below to watch a short video:

Symptoms:

Depression symptoms may vary among people but generally encompass a feeling of sadness or hopelessness. These can include³:

• Tiredness and loss of energy
• Sadness that doesn’t go away
• Loss of self-confidence and self-esteem
• Difficulty concentrating
• Not being able to enjoy things that are usually pleasurable of interesting
• Feeling anxious all the time
• Avoiding other people, sometimes even your close friends
• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
• Sleeping problems – difficulties in getting off to sleep or waking up much earlier than usual
• Very strong feelings of guilt or worthlessness
• Finding it hard to function at work/college/school
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of sex drive and/or sexual problems
• Physical aches and pains
• Thinking about suicide and death
• Self-harm

Depression symptoms can vary in severity, from mild to moderate to severe depression. If you experience symptoms of depression for most of the day – every day – for more than two weeks, you should seek help from your GP.

Causes:

Depression is a complex condition and its causes are not fully understood. However, various contributing factors can lead to depression. These can include biological factors (for example, genetics⁴ or experience of physical illness or injury⁵) and psychological or social factors (experiences dating back to childhood⁶, unemployment⁷, bereavement⁸, or life-changing events⁹ such as pregnancy. Having a long-standing or life-threatening illness, such as heart disease, back pain or cancer, has been associated with an increased risk of depression¹⁰.

Getting Support:

Common treatment approaches for depression include talking therapies and medication.

Talking Therapies:

These involve speaking in confidence to a trained professional about problems or issues that may be causing concern. Types of talking therapies include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling and psychotherapy, and your GP can advise you about which approach you may find most helpful.

Medication:

Another treatment option for depression is to take antidepressants. These can be taken on their own or in conjunction with talking therapies.

There are various types of antidepressants available and you can speak with your GP about what might suit you best. If one medication does not work, you may be prescribed something else. It is important that you take the medicine for the length of time recommended by your GP.

For more information about antidepressants, please see NHS Choices.

Other Options:

Your treatment approach will be informed by the severity of your depression. Those with mild to moderate depression may benefit from talking therapies whilst people experiencing moderate to severe depression may find antidepressants or combination therapy to be more appropriate. There are other treatment options beyond medication and talking therapies. For instance, people with mild depression might find exercise, self-help or mental health apps to be helpful.³

If you have depression, it is important to speak with your GP or care provider for more detail and to discuss which treatment may be most appropriate for you.

The PDPA’s official charity for 2018/2019 is Crohn’s and Colitis UK

Yet it is largely a hidden disease, and one that causes stigma, fear and isolation – it’s thought that many people with the condition go undiagnosed and suffer in silence. It doesn’t have to be like this.

We are the UK’s leading charity in the battle against Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis and we have dozens of free information sheets, booklets and guides that demystify Crohn’s and Colitis for anyone affected by them, including friends, family, medical professionals and even employers.

Browse the links below to find out about the conditions, their symptoms and treatment – and how you can get a diagnosis if you think you have Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

If you have any queries about the conditions, contact our dedicated Information Service.

– See more at: https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/about-inflammatory-bowel-disease#sthash.a5l1EHtQ.dpuf

We will be over this period be involved in arranging many sports related events. To look on their website CLICK HERE

Re: Other Charitable Donations:

We always thank everyone for sending in any enquiries requesting donations for any upcoming charity events in aid of your chosen cause.

The PDPA do take all charitable requests seriously. However, due to increased correspondence requesting donations, etc, the PDPA Board have decided that support shall be limited to our offical national charity only.

We regret that we cannot help everyone and appreciate that your cause does still require help. The PDPA wish you every success with your fundraising efforts.

Yours sincerely

The PDPA

Parkinsons UK:

‘Sky Sports’ Dave Clark undertook the biggest physical challenge of his life with a 200 mile coast-to-coast walk in September 2016 to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK, the PDC’s official charity. 

Sky Sports presenter Clark is a proud supporter of Parkinson’s UK, having been diagnosed himself with Parkinson’s five years ago. He is an ambassador for the charity and has other walks and events planned to raise awareness and funds for research.

To coincide with Parkinson’s UK’s partnership with the PDC, Clark lead a special charity two-week walk in September as he traversed England from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in his native Yorkshire.

The 200-mile walk began on September 11 and crossed the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors before concluding 13 days later.

PDPA Chairman Peter Manley presents Dave Clark with a cheque for £2,000 as a donation from the association on behalf of its members in support of Parkinson’s UK at the start of the walk.

For more information about Parkinson’s UK, visit www.parkinsons.uk.org