GRIEF AND DEATH

What is Grief?

Grief is the feeling of pain that comes from loss. Most often seen when someone is grieving the loss of a family member. They are feeling this because something has bereaved them of their family member. Grief may become complicated when the mourning of a loved one effects the individual's daily life and prevents them from healing. The disorder in the DSM-5 manual is called persistent complex bereavement disorder. Bereavement is the state of being deprived of something or someone. Therefore, an individual may be bereaved of their loved one. 

Symptoms 

Many signs and symptoms of grief are normal for a few months after losing someone, but complicated grief is when these symptoms persist and disable an individual from healing. Complicated grief includes symptoms such as, intense sorrow and pain, numbness, detachment, depression, guilt, self blame and the belief that you could have stopped the death, and isolation. People who are dealing with complicated grief are usually unable to focus on much else other than the loved one’s death. For that reason, they have a lack of focus, they might find it difficult to live a normal routine, and feel that nothing else in life matters. Some even feel that their own life is not worth living and wish that they had died along with their loved one. 

Treatment 

People who have complicated grief are usually treated in therapy. In therapy, an individual would learn about the symptoms they are experiencing and how to adjust to them. They might also do things such as act out conversations with their loved ones in order to help with their acceptance. Lastly, therapy will help an individual gain better coping skills in order to help with their emotions surrounding the loss of their loved one. Additionally, some individuals struggling with grief may be prescribed medication. There is not much research indicating that any specific medication treats complicated grief, but many individuals might begin taking antidepressants to relieve their feelings of sadness and hopelessness. If a traumatic event was involved in the loss of a loved one, an individual may relieve counseling. There are different types of counseling such as cognitive therapy and exposure therapy. Cognitive therapy helps an individual reframe their negative thoughts to be more positive. For example, if an individual is experiencing guilt and shame, cognitive therapy would help to relieve some of this guilt by helping the individual reshape the way they see this event. Exposure therapy slowly exposes the individual to fears that the traumatic event has caused, so that the individual will experience a decrease in some of their symptoms.