TIME Health is reporting on the gradual form of grief that caregivers experience, the questions patients should ask before starting a mental-health medication, and an urgent shortage of platelet donors.
It said caregiving expert Sue Ryan described "drip grief" as grief that arrives a little at a time when someone is caring for a loved one over a long period, especially after a significant diagnosis. TIME said Ryan explained that it comes with realizing certain shared experiences will never happen again, and that the losses accumulate gradually rather than all at once. She contrasted it with the grief that follows a sudden death, which she described as significant and instantaneous. TIME said Ryan noted that people do not always recognize they are grieving while it is happening, and that she encourages acknowledging the loss and talking with others about it. Ryan told TIME that people are meant to experience every emotion, and that acknowledging a feeling and then deciding what to do with it can keep someone from staying stuck.
Separately, TIME is reporting on what patients should ask before beginning a new mental-health medication. It said Stacey Colino wrote that starting such a prescription can feel hopeful, daunting or both, and that asking a few questions up front can help patients leave an appointment with realistic expectations and a plan. TIME said patients should ask why a particular medication is right for them, which symptoms it is meant to improve, how it works and how soon a difference might be noticed. It said some medications act quickly, while antidepressants can take four to eight weeks to reach full effect, and that it helps to know whether the goal is for symptoms to disappear or simply become easier to manage. TIME said patients should also ask about common side effects, how long they typically last, which ones warrant a call to a doctor or immediate care, and possible interactions with other medications, supplements, alcohol or marijuana. It said patients should find out what to do about a missed dose and how long they may need to take the medication.
TIME also said physicians Robert Glatter and Peter Papadakos wrote about the importance of platelet donors, describing an urgent shortage.