Grief

Editor-In-Chief: Prab R Tumpati, MD
Obesity, Sleep & Internal medicine
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Grief
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Synonyms	N/A
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	N/A
Symptoms	Sadness, anger, guilt, anxiety, loneliness, fatigue, helplessness, shock, yearning
Complications	Depression, anxiety disorder, substance abuse
Onset	Immediately after a loss
Duration	Varies; can be weeks, months, or longer
Types	Anticipatory grief, normal grief, complicated grief, disenfranchised grief
Causes	Death of a loved one, divorce, loss of a job, end of a relationship, loss of a pet
Risks	Previous mental health issues, lack of social support, multiple losses
Diagnosis	Based on clinical assessment
Differential diagnosis	Major depressive disorder, adjustment disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder
Prevention	N/A
Treatment	Psychotherapy, support groups, medication
Medication	N/A
Prognosis	Generally improves over time with support
Frequency	Universal; affects all humans at some point
Deaths	N/A

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Grief

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Grief

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Grief

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Grief

Grief is a multifaceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical dimensions.

Definition

While the terms are often used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss, and grief is the reaction to loss. Grief is a natural response to loss. It is the emotional suffering one feels when something or someone the individual loves is taken away. The grief associated with death is familiar to most people, but individuals grieve in connection with a variety of losses throughout their lives, such as unemployment, ill health or the end of a relationship. Loss can be categorized as either physical or abstract, the physical loss being related to something that the individual can touch or measure, such as losing a spouse through death, while other types of loss are abstract, and relate to aspects of a person’s social interactions.

Stages of Grief

The Five Stages of Grief, model (or the Kübler-Ross model) postulates that those experiencing grief go through a series of five emotions: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Although commonly referenced in popular media, the existence of these stages has not been empirically demonstrated and the model is considered to be outdated, inaccurate, and unhelpful in explaining the grieving process.

Coping with Grief

Coping with grief is different for everyone and depends on the person's personality, coping style, life experience, and their faith or spirituality. The process of bereavement includes coping mechanisms to help the individual through the loss.

See Also

• Bereavement
• Coping mechanisms
• Five Stages of Grief