AMI-Quebec’s 2024 Mental Health Forum

“Ambiguous loss is a loss that remains unclear and without official verification or immediate resolution, which may never be achieved. The people we love can be physically gone but kept psychologically present - or the opposite, physically present but psychologically gone. We feel our grief, but because no death has occurred or been verified, it is often criticized as premature. Ambiguous losses then lead to a disenfranchised grief because others do not see the loss as credible and worthy of grief”- Dr. Pauline Boss
This can be the case when serious mental health challenges strike. Mental illness often changes the trajectory of the diagnosed individual, and also wreaks havoc on the entire family. Changing expectations and gradual acceptance are accompanied by a sense of loss and grief. There may be no closure, but rather learning to live with the ambiguity, uncertainty, and grief.
Multilevel ambiguous losses were experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continue in the face of many crises throughout the world, leading to an increase in anxiety and anger.
Dr. Pauline Boss, Professor Emerita at the University of Minnesota, coined the term Ambiguous Loss, and will be the keynote speaker at the AMI-Quebec Annual Mental Health Event (formerly the Low Beer Memorial Lecture). She will address the challenges presented by ambiguity, as well as ways to make peace with it and move forward despite its presence. Two individuals experiencing ambiguous losses will share their personal stories. The event will be moderated by CBC Radio host Sonali Karnick.
We hope you can join us on October 17th!
Presentation in English and no need to register in advance.
Co-sponsored with the Department of Psychology and the Centre for Clinical Research in Health (CCRH), Concordia University

[@maralarkin2922]

What a great conference. I think the topic of Resilience was very on point, and re-iterating the definition to highlight it as a mechanism of coping really stuck with me.

[@ami-quebec4416]

How kind of you to say, thanks so much!