Is death still a taboo?*

The organisations concerning death, dying and mourning in Hungary attach importance to the forming of the common knowledge in order to open the talk about the questions concerning the end-of-life even more, to create new rites and last but not least, to break down the taboos that still surround this topic. In order to achieve that, a review, different websites, and a research team have been established, and there are some university courses in the topic as well. It is high time that the professional organisations start to develop a closer co-operation. The initiatives related to this will be co-ordinated by the Institute of Behavioural Sciences of the Semmelweis University.

The Kharon Thanatology Review was established in 1997 by professionals of different fields, and has been releasing four issues yearly ever since in the topic of death, dying, burial culture and mourning. The composition of its editorial board also enhances the interdisciplinary character of the review; it is very important to us to explain this topic as a complex phenomenon, involving studies from the fields of medicine and various sorts of humanities (such as ethnography, history, law, art history, theology, sociology etc.) about current issues or revealing past events. Since 2008, the review has been formed into an online journal and is available for everyone on www.kharon.hu free of charge including the previous issues as well. The journal aims not only to reach professionals in a narrow sense; the columns include research results of high standard, educational writings and essayistic confessions. Today, Charon is infiltrated into the higher education training scheme, the number of its readers is ever growing, and it is a welcome change that more and more young researchers wish to publish their results in this topic.

The Napfogyatkozás (Eclipse) Association was the first organisation in Hungary to aim to help the mourning and to examine the questions of mourning. The organisation was founded by Alaine Polcz and 17 other professionals in 2001. The Association organises trainings several times a year for physicians and psychologists on assisting the mourning. In the last few years, the Association arranged four conferences in the topic of mourning. On the website of the organisation (www.gyaszolok.hu) there is countless information available for mourners and their assisting professionals about processing losses, publications and events about mourning.

The Institute of Behavioural Sciences of the Semmelweis University has established a workteam in 2004, which has been engaging in the psychological questions on death, dying and mourning, and in the mental health of health care workers, who work with seriously ill patients. The purpose of the workteam is to lead and co-ordinate the research and surveys; consultations, guidance for researchers, and to organise Thanatology / Palliative Therapy courses.
www.magtud.sote.hu/tanatologiai-kutatocsoport.htm
This course for medical students is very popular and plays an important role in the forming of their attitude.
The Hungarian Hospice Palliative Association has been coordinating the work of the hospice organisations since 1995. It unites organisations specializing in the health care of the most seriously ill patients with a tumour and in the easing their physical and mental pain. Currently, there are 83 institutional and home care centres in Hungary (hospice.hu). The aim of the Association is to provide the professionalism in the interest of patient’s higher quality of living and to form the common knowledge of the society, enabling that dying and death happens in accordance with the inherent rights of all human beings and human dignity.

On the occasion of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, the Hungarian Hospice Palliative Association opened a tender invitation in October 2009 for a study of high standard about death, dying and mourning to be published in Kharon Thanatology Review. The purpose of the tender was to provide an opportunity to familiarize a wider public with thanatology and to break down the taboos still surrounding death, dying and mourning. More than 30 studies were sent in for the invitation. The organizers were surprised that even young people showed interest, and how creative and well prepared they were. There comes a new generation, which will build on the grounds established by the Thanatology research team following Alaine Polcz in the Institute of Behavioural Sciences of the Semmelweis University on the topics of death, dying and mourning; the Hungarian Hospice Palliative Association; the Napfogyatkozás (Eclipse) Association, which concerns the mourners; the Kharon online review, and other websites on the topic of mourning.
The jury arrived to the following decision:

The first prize goes to the study of Zsófia Katalin Varga, Dániel Baksa and Adrienn K. Szilágyi: Investigating the attitude towards death and its correlates in the population of critical care professionals: among nurses working in intensive care units and in hospice care. The jury highlights the rich substance knowledge, the thorough and widespread research work, the high-quality data processing and the remarkable results.

The second prize goes to the study of Ágnes Gérecz: Concept of death in Roma children’s fantasy. The jury highlights the originality of the topic and the high-standard of the elaboration.

The third prize goes to the study of Nelja Szmereka: The remains of death rituals in Valentin Rasputin’s novel entitled The Last Term.

Special prize goes to the study of Magdolna Singer: Post-traumatic personality development in perinatal grief. The jury highlights the significant work of Magdolna Singer on perinatal mourning.

Is death still a taboo? If we begin talking about it, inform professionals and the public about the various opportunities for help, then it might be less and less of a taboo.

Further press information:

Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, workteam
Hungarian Hospice Palliative Association
Dr. Katalin Hegedűs
+36 20 531 3799
hegkati@net.sote.hu
hospice.hu

Kharon Thanatology Review
Ildikó Horányi
+36 20 347 6152
ildikohoranyi@semmelweis.museum.hu
www.kharon.hu

Napfogyatkozás (Eclipse) Association
Dr. János Pilling
+36 70 264 9065
pilling.janos@gmail.com
www.gyaszolok.hu

* Information on the announcement of results of the tender invitation for a study by Kharon. December 4. 2009, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University