![]() ![]() The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. Terminal lucidity in patients with chronic schizophrenia and dementia: A survey of the literature. The psychiatry of palliative medicine: the dying mind. Terminal lucidity: A review and a case collection. Nahm M, Greyson B, Kelly EW, Haraldsson E.Terminal lucidity in people with mental illness and other mental disability: An overview and implications for possible explanatory models. If families know that a period of mental clarity and alertness may signal a conclusion of the dying process, they are more likely to treat terminal lucidity as what it is: a gift. 2 This is why some hospice professionals advocate for educating families about terminal lucidity, despite the limited scientific evidence. This can make a death a few days later feel like even more of a loss. Personal accounts often refer to families interpreting terminal lucidity as recovery. 2,5 How Does Terminal Lucidity Affect Families? They further hypothesize that the phenomenon was more common in earlier times and that the regular use of pain-relieving medications in modern care may mask the effect. Some authors have surmised that terminal lucidity is less prevalent in today’s medical and scientific literature. McLeod was not with the patients continuously. 3 This would put the prevalence at 6% of cases, but Dr. MacLeod directly observed 100 people in their last month of life, he observed six cases. How Common is Terminal Lucidity?Ī survey of past literature including all accounts (medical observation and family reporting) estimates that terminal lucidity occurs for roughly four out of ten people with an extended dying process. He concluded that the cases could not identify predictors of the occurrence. Sandy MacLeod directly interacted with 100 dying people and observed cases of terminal lucidity. ![]() ![]() In much older studies, that list included rabies and infection. It has been documented to occur for people with: In fact, terminal lucidity has been described across a wide range of medical conditions. This is because if it’s true and the underlying mechanisms could be discovered, treatments for Alzheimer’s and dementia could also be discovered. 5 Who Experiences Terminal Lucidity?ĭiscussions of terminal lucidity seem more common in the context of Alzheimer’s and dementia. 4 In the 19 th century, medical literature stated that a period of unexplained mental clarity and alertness was a sign that the person had less than a week to live. Terminal lucidity has been recognized in healthcare literature of today and stretching back to ancient Greece. It would be unethical to use some of that precious time to conduct a study. Terminal lucidity occurs for only minutes, hours, or a couple of days. On the other hand, we have to acknowledge the fact that most high-quality study designs on this subject would not be allowed. 2 While there are some academic case reports and case series, 3 many of the reports available to healthcare researchers fall short of their usual requirements. There is currently no accepted medical explanation for terminal lucidity, and few modern explanations have been offered. 3 However, the hallucination association is controversial on at least two fronts. 2 By some definitions, hallucinations often accompany terminal lucidity. It is commonly thought of as occurring within a week or a day of death but has been documented as occurring within the last month of life. 1 It can last minutes, hours, and even days. Terminal lucidity is the medical term that refers to a period of increased mental clarity and alertness during the dying process. This supposed period of mental clarity has important implications in the patient’s and family’s peace of mind. What is this? Is it a real medical occurrence or a myth? Many hospice nurses and doctors have stated that it does happen and that families should be educated about the possibility. Perhaps you’ve heard of the phenomenon where a dying person who has been confused or sluggish suddenly develops mental clarity for a period of time.
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