Chapters authored
Caregiving and the Family
Caregiving is the routine rendering of care by a caregiver who has taken the sole responsibility for ensuring that the fundamental needs of the care recipient are met. With the population aging and the increasing trend of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the need and the demand for home care will rise exponentially. Caregiving for most chronic illnesses has become a fastidious task requiring a combination of formal and informal caregivers to meet the needs of care recipients. The informal caregiving role falls squarely on the shoulders of the family, which remains the basic unit of every society connected biologically, legally or by choice, from which one expects a measure of physical, financial, and emotional support. This chapter discusses caregiving, home care, and the family against the backdrop of diverse world realities in beliefs and attitudes towards healthcare services and home care. It attests to the preferences for home care by some group of patients with chronic/terminal illnesses, especially the elderly, and it also expounds on reasons for this preference, the benefits to the patients and the family, including the family’s need for support in dealing with the burden of caregiving for relatives with chronic illnesses.
Part of the book: Caregiving and Home Care
Social Media and Suicide
Today, online social media are as ubiquitous as they are inextricable, especially as they have become critical to every aspect of our everyday lives. In the face of this upsurge in social media use, particularly in the adolescent age-group, rates of suicide, attempted suicide, and deliberate self-harm have spiked. This chapter aims to elucidate on current-day definitions of these terminologies as well as their epidemiology regionally and globally. Furthermore, it explores any established causality as well as possible associations and contributory factors such as cyberbullying and substance abuse. The chapter also explores how trending issues such as celebrity suicide and suicide reporting have impacted on the prevalence of suicide and examines its comorbidities. Novel concepts such as the Werther and Papageno effect are highlighted. It explicates on present-day recommendations to curb this menace while also examining the possibilities and merits of using social media as a prohibitive and rehabilitative tool against suicidal behavior.
Part of the book: Anxiety Disorders