bereavement

Bereavement: A period of mourning after a loss; the sorrow you feel or the state you are in when you lose someone. Bereavement is the state of loss when someone close to you has died. The death of someone you love is one of the greatest sorrows that can occur. Feelings of bereavement can also accompany other losses, such as the decline of your health or the health of someone you care about, or the end of an important relationship

  • Loss of a job

  • Loss of a loved one

  • Loss of a beloved pet

  • Loss of a friendship

  • Loss of a personal dream

  • Loss of a romantic relationship

Symptoms can include:

  • sleep disorders

  • extreme sadness

  • changes in appetite

  • sadness and crying

  • clinical depression

  • difficulty in concentrating

  • lack of interest in daily activities

  • thoughts of death and suicide

Prolonged Grief Disorder: This type of grief occurs when the normal feelings of grief after a traumatic event don’t begin to fade. Those suffering from complicated grief are in the same type of emotional pain months after an event as they were the day the trauma occurred.

Signs and symptoms of complicated grief may include:

  • Intense sorrow, pain and rumination over the loss of your loved one

  • Focus on little else but your loved one’s death

  • Extreme focus on reminders of the loved one or excessive avoidance of reminders

  • Intense and persistent longing or pining for the deceased

  • Problems accepting the death

  • Numbness or detachment

  • Bitterness about your loss

  • Feeling that life holds no meaning or purpose

  • Lack of trust in others

  • Inability to enjoy life or think back on positive experiences with your loved one

Complicated Grief Disorder: may be indicated if you continue to:

  • Have trouble carrying out normal routines

  • Isolate from others and withdraw from social activities

  • Experience depression, deep sadness, guilt or self-blame

  • Believe that you did something wrong or could have prevented the death

  • Feel life isn’t worth living without your loved one

  • Wish you had died along with your loved one

At times, people with complicated grief may consider suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, talk to someone you trust. If you think you may act on suicidal feelings, call 911 or your local emergency services number right away. Or call a suicide hotline number. In the United States, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255) to reach a trained counselor.