Bereavement and Grief

Question 1

What is grief?

Answer 1

Grief is the process of reacting to loss
Grief is less pervasive than depression, and positive emotions are experienced alongside negative ones. Grief states fluctuate and gradually alleviate over time
.Pseudohallucinations are normal in grief e.g. hearing the voice of the deceased
Normal grief can be mistaken for acute stress reaction (within 48 hours of the event) or adjustment disorder (within days of the event)

Question 2

What is bereavement?

Answer 2

bereavement is period after a loss during which grief is experienced and mourning occurs

Question 3

Stages of grief

Answer 3

The stages of a normal grief process were described by Kubler-Ross as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance

Question 4

Prolonged grief Disorder

Answer 4

Prolonged grief disorder is defined by its symptoms, duration and intensity

• Symptoms include emotional numbness, feeling of being trapped in grief, intense yearning for the person, and identity confusion
• These symptoms are present daily, causing significant distress and functional impairment, and persisting >6 months after the death. The person is completely consumed by grief

Question 5

Risk Factors for Abnormal Grief Disorders

Answer 5

• How the person died is important e.g. sudden unexpected death, violent circumstances, absence of a corpse, having a person to blame for the death
• The relationship between the deceased and the patient e.g. loss of a child, difficult relationship, dependent relationship
• The patient themselves e.g. little social support, insecure, difficulty expressing emotions, past psychiatric history