This is a case description and personal account shared by a palliative care physician whose team provided specialist palliative care support to a patient who attempted immolation. This case depicts a family at risk of complicated grief due to the violent nature of self-inflicted burns and the lingering social stigmatization of suicide. Here, we explore important psycho-emotional considerations and share our experience using art and poetry to build therapeutic connections with the grieving family.
Keywords: Grief and bereavement; burns; end of life; humanities; painting; poetry.
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