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There is a profession called a “Death Doula,” they are people who help other people with the transition which we call “death.” Depression often accompanies loss and the loss of a loved one is no different.
Depression is the most common mental disorder in the world, everyone on Earth at some point most probably will experience depression; now whether the depression is chronic and long lasting or not is another question. Most people just experience acute depression.
There is a graph which shows the impact of grief on people in various traumatic situations. We grieve loss in all of its forms but the loss of loved ones to a death has a particular kind of grieving. The closer you are to someone, usually the more grieving takes place.
The pain from loss has a way of sometimes pushing us into places where we would rather not go. How are we going to be without that person in my life, etc. Fear is always about what is going to happen next, even if we are laying on our death bed. Basically, ego is the only thing that may freak out at the time of death.
Death basically removes our mask, our covering. We all have a persona or presentation, but for most people who are dying there is no pretense, when you look at a person who is dying some of them can see right into you. They have been stripped of everything and most are emotionally naked, frail and weak. It is important to be honest and genuine, because most who are terminally ill and close to death can tell if you are not. The death experience is probably the most intimate experience you will ever have.
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