Empty nest syndrome is not a clinical disorder or diagnosis. It is a transitional period in life that highlights loneliness and loss.
Empty nest syndrome is not a clinical disorder or diagnosis. It is a transitional period in life that highlights loneliness and loss for parents of grown-up children, once they move out. People want their children to grow up and lead independent lives. Yet parents often feel lonely, sad, and filled with grief when their children depart.
All parents are susceptible to empty nest syndrome, although some factors can create a predisposition to it, according to Wikipedia; such factors include an unstable or unsatisfactory marriage, a sense of self-based primarily on identity as a parent, difficulty accepting change ( Mayo Clinic 2013). This is especially during stressful life events such as the death of a spouse, moving away or retirement. Some of the key symptoms of Empty Nest to watch are depression, a sense of loss of purpose, feelings of rejection, or worry, stress, and anxiety over the child's welfare. Parents who experience empty nest syndrome often question whether or not they have prepared adequately for their child to live independently (Raup et al 1986).
Empty Nest is not a Clinical Disorder- Women normally suffer more than do men and feelings of sadness may be more pronounced among women who were full-time mothers. Empty nest syndrome is not a clinical disorder or diagnosis. It is a transitional period in life that highlights loneliness and loss. Parents want to encourage their children to grow into independent adults. However, the experience is often bittersweet or emotionally challenging. “When mothers talk about the depression of the empty nest, they are not mourning the passing of all those wet towels on the floor, or the music that numbs your teeth, or even the bottle of capless shampoo dribbling down the shower drain. They are upset because they have gone from supervisors of a child’s life to a spectator…,” (Erma Bomeck).
Share with a Counsellor Agency has taken cognizant of this gap in the mental health profession, and provided a platform where adult children can facilitate counselling services for their elderly parents through the phone. This is complemented by vernacular counselling for Kenya population, which removes one of the barriers to mental health services compounded by accessibility and affordability of virtual services. Through the Share with a Counsellor Mobile Phone App, grow children can book therapy sessions for their parents and ensure they are emotionally supported to manoeuvre the empty nest syndrome, through their vernacular language in Kenya for now.
