Recounts personal experiences concerning art therapy as both a lymphoma patient and an artist. A few selections from two periods in the hospital illustrate physical and emotional pain. (JPS)

Describes the elements of a program in hospice and palliative medicine that may serve as a model of an effective system of physician education. Topics for the palliative-care curriculum include hospice medicine, breaking bad news, pain management, the process of dying, and managing personal stress. (JOW)

A study illustrates how legal sanction promotes a culture that transforms suicide into assisted suicide and encourages choosing death when faced with serious illness. The question of extending legal euthanasia to those not physically ill complicates the issue. Also, doctors may feel they can end a terminally-ill patient's life without consent.…

A therapist recounts her experiences working in a large AIDS long-term care facility in New York City, and the value of art therapy in helping infected people deal with the unpredictable effects of the virus. (JPS)

Describes the role and responsibilities of advanced-practice nurses in palliative care and nursing's initiative in promoting high-quality care through the educational preparation of these nurses. (JOW)

Explores many dimensions of suicide among the terminally ill, including preemptive, surcease, and rational suicide. The critical issues addressed are the incidence of suicide in HIV-positive individuals, contributing factors associated with the risk of suicide among people with HIV/AIDS, and the clinical and ethical implications of this issue for…

Gives objectives for and an outline of topics covered in a course designed to examine the dynamics of death and dying. (WRM)

Discusses progeria (or Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome), a rare childhood disorder that invariably results in death during adolescence. Describes the major medical aspects of progeria, and discusses the psychosocial implications of the disorder with particular emphasis on grief-triggered reactions. Presents an overview of psychosocial intervention…

The Working Group on the Pre-Clinical Years of the 1997 National Consensus Conference on Medical Education for Care Near the End of Life identifies promising settings and suggests how they might be used for maximum benefit in end-of-life education. Basic-care competencies are in five domains: psychological/social/cultural/spiritual issues;…

Presents some explanations for the doubling of the young adult suicide rate since 1950. Analyzes the diagnoses and population groups that contribute the most to this increase. Groups that can be readily affected by suicide reduction measures are discussed, and methods for reducing suicide are proposed. (JPS)