When the nurse encounters crying.

Abstract

1. Crying has therapeutic value. For the patient and family, crying can facilitate working through grief, promote emotional healing, and release emotions that might otherwise lead to crippling emotional or physical illness. 2. Crying may be precipitated by a variety of emotions and may be related to a variety of situations. When patients cry, the behavior may express sadness and grief, release emotion, manipulate others, be a means to cope with unresolved stress, reduce distance, and may represent emotional lability related to organic brain impairment. 3. When the patient is crying, the nurse's action should be based on an assessment of the crying and the nursing strategies appropriate for the patient's unique situation. Generally, crying should be accepted nonjudgmentally and emotional support should be provided.