Emergencies and setbacks / Chapter 29
Losing a relative, being told of a serious illness, losing a job, or a divorce. In the research these events share a finding: what goes wrong is not only the mood, but the body. The stretch of highest risk sits in the first weeks through the first year. This section does not explain how to "get over it." It only says which things someone has to watch during this stretch, which decisions have to be put off, and when to go and register at a clinic. Most items are scored on the chance of death. The items that talk about spending and about benefits are scored on money. They are: do not start by paying for grief counseling (item 9), call 12356 and register at a mental-health clinic (item 11), push irreversible big decisions back (item 12), and do not treat death as a way to pay a debt (item 13). These kinds of figures are not converted into each other. If there is no relative and no friend to turn to, how "find someone to watch" actually gets done is in item 6. If you yourself went through a traffic crash, an assault, or a disaster and the nightmares and flashbacks are still there, see item 14 (trauma-focused psychological treatment).
The paperwork at the time a relative dies, the body, and the money to collect are in section 25. Guardianship and a will for an elder while alive are in section 17. What you can receive after losing a job is in section 7. Exercise and daylight when mood is low are in section 3 and section 22. If suicidal thoughts appear, call 12356 first; see section 1, item 25. The time scale of the thoughts is in section 1, item 32. Lasting harm after a person is brought back is in section 1, item 33. This section does not repeat any of that.
On the day after a relative dies, the chance of a heart attack is 21.1 times the usual chance, and each day after that it is lower. …
In the first week after receiving a cancer diagnosis, the risk of suicide is roughly 12.6 times higher than among people without a diagnosis, while the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is about 5.6 times higher. …
People who have lost a job later die at a rate about 60% higher than people still in work. The gap is clearer for men, and for people who are not old, and it is highest in the first 10 years. …
People whose spouse died by suicide have a higher chance of being diagnosed with a mental disorder within 5 years than other people do: about 80% higher for men, about 70% higher for women. …
In the first half year after losing a spouse, the chance of dying in that same stretch is about 40% higher than for people who did not lose a spouse. After half a year it falls to about 15% higher. For men it is about 23% higher. …
When there is no relative and no friend, what has to be covered is this: if something happens, someone finds you, and on ordinary days you take medicine and eat on time. Medicine and meals are on you. …
A child who loses a father or a mother before 18 later dies at a rate about 50% higher than a child who did not go through that. If the parent died by accident or by suicide, it is about 80% higher. …
About 1 in 10 bereaved adults gets stuck. After more than half a year they still miss the person so much that they cannot eat, cannot go to work, and cannot look after a child. They feel numb, and life seems to have no point. …
Arranging psychological counseling for every bereaved person brings a small benefit, and after a while it can no longer be seen, because most people would have eased on their own. …
People who are separated or divorced have a clearly higher chance of dying early than people who are still married. The rise is larger for men, and for people who are younger. This is not necessarily caused by the divorce. …
If you need someone to talk to, dial 12356 — this is the national mental health helpline, and it’s completely free. Minors and teenagers can call 12355, the dedicated youth support service. …
In this stretch your judgment of every "opportunity" is at its worst. In an experiment, sad people were willing to take a bit over 10% less money, and up to a bit over 30% less, so they would not have to wait 3 months. …
A suicide within 2 years of a life-insurance contract is not paid. Only the small sum that can be refunded from the policy is returned. …
After a serious event, nightmares and being easily startled in the first weeks are common, and most people ease on their own. …
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