Why prolonged grief should be listed as a mental disorder
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
It’s normal to have recurring waves of grief after the loss of a loved one but prolonged, severe grief requires treatment. An article from The Conversation. By Richard Bryant, Professor and Director of the Traumatic Stress Clinic at UNSW Australia.
Grief is one of the most universal and distressing experiences that humans suffer.
For most people, the emotional pain of losing someone close to them lasts for a relatively brief period. Many studies indicate that by six months after bereavement, most people begin to experience remission of the severe grief response. Waves of grief may come and go for months or years afterwards but these reactions don’t impair or limit a person’s capacity to engage in life’s activities.
In contrast, a proportion of bereaved people (approximately 10% to 15%) suffer persistent grief that can last for many years. Many studies from different countries and cultural settings have documented that severe yearning for the deceased that persists beyond six mont...
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
- Useful related articles
- Video and multimedia references
- Statistical information and reference material
- Glossary of terms
- Key Facts and figures
- Related assignments
- Resource material and websites
