The story of death and demise is a story no one can be completely prepared for. At the time of COVID-19 pandemic, the increased mortality rate was something we had to learn to live with as well as with the fear of death. In what way can we overcome the consequences of such an impact? One of the ways is facing the fact that death is an integral part of life.

The first thing associated with death is depression and expected period of mourning, which is why we have encountered the phenomenon of depression at the global level. A loss of a beloved person is something that always finds us unprepared. Feelings of overwhelming sorrow, shock and despair or a complete vanishing of emotions accompany each great loss for some time. It gets even more intensive if we lose a really close person and if the loss is unexpected. These feelings are many times stronger then.

‘Must a loss cause depression?’ was the topic discussed at the ‘A Cup of Coffee with Psychologist’ panel, which hosted the following guests: Aleksandar Dimitrijević, Clinical Psychologist and Psychoanalyst of the International Psychoanalytic Institute in Berlin, Anne Marie Ćurčić, Journalist and initiator of ForYou #ITISIMPORTANT initiative, and Branka Katić, Actress. The panel moderator was Dragan Ilić, Psychologist and Journalist.

Speaking about the loss of her daughter, Marija, Anne Marie Ćurčić said that two years had passed since she lost her daughter who died by suicide and there had been no hints that something like that would happen. ‘I have to say that the circumstances that lead to death do not define the person who died. I am Anne Marie, Marija’s mom. I am not a mother of a person who died by suicide. Marija did die, but this act does not define her. Only recently I have come out from the state of shock. I feel terrible and I am in disbelief of what happened. I still need an awful lot of strength to face the finiteness that death brings along, and at the same time I have an inner urge to celebrate life, to celebrate Marija’s life and the lives of the people I love’, said Anne Marie Ćurčić. She explained that she learnt to function owing to her family and with the help of experts. ‘Owing to psychotherapy, through talk and reading appropriate literature, it is possible to create certain mechanisms for accepting hard facts’, concluded Anne Marie Ćurčić.



Aleksandar Dimitrijević, Clinical Psychologist, explained that the process of grief lasts for some time, including turbulent psychological processes, and then it begins to subside. ‘Life is stronger in most cases, the reservoirs of grief are not inexhaustible and sometimes with a feeling of guild, we nevertheless start to discover that it is possible to enjoy life again’, said Dimitrijević. He pointed out that ‘even in the darkest hours, it is possible to remind ourselves that the pain of loss has its bright side – love. Although the pain might never go away completely, we can still give our contribution to the world through being creative, through activism, new loves, and optimism’, concluded Dimitrijević.



Actress Branka Katić talked about depression in her family. ‘My mom became depressive when I was ten. She did not want to visit a psychiatrist, because she believed it was a shame. My dad, on the other hand, never admitted my mom was depressive. He used to say she made it up and that everything was in her head’, said Branka Katić in front of the full hall of Dorćol Platz, adding that psychotherapy helped her in better handling of this and other situations in her life.



‘A Cup of Coffee with Psychologist’ panel was organised as part of the UNBREAKABLE national campaign, initiated by Hemofarm Foundation in collaboration with the Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy and supported by the Ministry of Health of Republic of Serbia with the aim of preserving mental health, and fighting the rising depression and stigmatisation of those affected.

The UNBREAKABLE campaign is a network of aid and support to Serbian population via SOS line for fighting depression: 0800 001 002 which employs professionals from special hospitals for psychiatric patients in Vršac, Gornja Toponica, Kovin and Novi Kneževac. Calls are free of charge and the aid and support of professionals are available 24/7. Free aid and support are also available via e-mail: podrska@nesalomivi.rs

You can see the whole ‘A Cup of Coffee with Psychologist’ panel, with the topic ‘Must a loss cause depression?’



Join the UNBREAKABLE, a movement for fighting depression at: pokret@nesalomivi.rs.

Nothing can break us when we are together!