Corona-funerals without family/relatives: risk of complicated grief?

[Herman de monnink]

Photo viewing after traumatic Corona-death?

In Italy I saw ‘mass’-funerals on tv without families/relatives because of Corona. Very sad images. Is it an idea to advise authorities to systematicly make Photos of the body and the funerial in countries where no family/relatives are allowed in the funeral/cremation? Afterwards – if this is a wish of the family – professionals can use the step-by-step Photo Viewing procedure to prevent complicated grief. In the Journal of Traumatology (2019) I described this procedure ‘Photoviewing after Traumatic Death. Finding the missing piece.’ Hope this helps at least afterwards for having a proper goodbye by those relatives who wish this? Al, the best, Herman
de Mönnink, H. J. (2019). Photo viewing after traumatic death: Finding the missing piece. Traumatology, 25(4), 226–234. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000206

[Janet McCord]

In my experience, sometimes taking photos of a deceased person is not acceptable. This was true in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in a village. The issues with funerals reminds me of how funeral practices and customs have to shift with the Ebola outbreaks.

[Author]

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