Table of Contents
Prolonged Grief Disorder – Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Here in this post, we are discussing “Prolonged Grief Disorder – Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment”. You can read more about psychology-related material on our website. Keep visiting Psychology Roots.
Prolonged Grief Disorder is characterized by strong and painful emotions of loss. Complicated, traumatic, chronic, or pathological grieving are among the terms that have been used to describe this disease. Prolonged sorrow is marked by emotional anguish and changes in one’s ability to function. Long-term grief makes it difficult for the bereaved to come to terms with their loss and begin the process of healing and moving ahead.
Prolonged Grief Disorder
Prolonged Grief Disorder
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual for mental health problems, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 TR), is adding prolonged grief disorder to its list of mental disorders. The condition will be included in the current text revision as of March 2022.
Grief may be debilitating if it goes on for an extended period of time. A person can:
- You’re plagued with pesky ideas.
- Obsessed with the person or their death
- As much as possible, stay away from anything that can serve as a reminder of the tragedy you’ve just endured
When we lose someone and yet have a deep need or yearning for them, the process of grieving becomes difficult, and this produces considerable damage in key areas of daily functioning. Persistent grieving may be the result of a person’s feeling of loss going beyond the limits of what is considered normal for their age, culture, religion, or social group.
Complicated grieving may have a wide range of effects on a person’s day-to-day activities. Many times a day it comes to the surface and it may be overwhelming. Problems in their personal and professional lives may become more apparent as a result of stress.
Causes of Prolonged Grief Disorder
The circumstances surrounding the death of a loved one may have an impact on the intensity and duration of our feelings of long-term mourning. Situations such as this might lead to complicated Grief.
- As a result of a mishap
- An untimely or abrupt death
- A youngster has died.
- In the event of a breakup,
- Death by a gunshot
- Suicide
- A loved one has died as a result of COVID-19.
It’s vital to remember that every one of us grieves in a unique manner when thinking about how we deal with loss. Grief may be influenced by a variety of things, including one’s ethnicity, religion, and even one’s chronological age.
Complicated Grief vs. Simple Grief.
After a stressful or traumatic incident, we experience grief as a reaction. When we think about sorrow, we usually think of it in relation to death. Other than the death of a loved one, a person may feel sadness following:
- When it comes to finances, a shift
- Friendships, love relationships, and marriages may be broken up for many reasons.
- Problems with one’s mental health
- Disconnecting from one’s feeling of self-determination or mobility.
- Injuries, near-death encounters
- Apocalyptic events
- Anger, loneliness, great sorrow, remorse, and helplessness are just a few of the feelings that may accompany grief.
In addition, those who are mourning may go through the following symptoms:
- Restrictions on their diet and sleep patterns
- Crying, low energy, and feeling alone
- Having difficulty focusing
It’s common for grieving folks to have a hard time assimilating new information and understanding that they’ve lost someone close to them. Six months after the death of a loved one, most people’s grieving reactions begin to improve. The death of a loved one may, however, cause some people to become consumed with their thoughts and emotions, which might interfere with their everyday life. It’s at this point that sorrow becomes more difficult or lengthy. When this happens, a person may find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that the person they loved has died, and they may have strong longings for them.
As you mourn, it is important to learn how to take care of yourself. Long-term grieving has been connected to sleep disorders, cardiovascular illness, accidents, professional and interpersonal troubles, and depression.
Symptoms of Prolonged Grief Disorder
At least six months after the death of an important person, adults and children may be diagnosed with the prolonged grieving disorder. Complicated grieving may cause a variety of symptoms, including but not limited to:
- The loss of a loved one causes a strong emotional reaction (e.g., anger, sadness, helplessness)
- There was a palpable shock at the death.
- Difficulty reintegrating into society
- Numbness of the emotions
- Trying to find a purpose for your life
- Loneliness is a lack of connection to people
- It is possible to feel that you have lost a piece of yourself (e.g., a sense of self-disruption).
Children’s and adults’ reactions to grief may vary. Children and teenagers may suffer mood swings, worry over separating from their loved ones, as well as feelings of depression and dread. There may be social troubles, feelings of inadequacy, drug or alcohol abuse, or suicidal thoughts among adults who have lost someone close to them.
It’s heartbreaking to lose someone we care about. We may have had pleasant feelings about them before to their death. However, according to one research, losing someone makes things more difficult since our memories of them are clouded by the sad and intense emotions that accompany their passing.
Treatment of Prolonged Grief Disorder
Psychiatrists can accurately diagnose and treat mental health conditions. It is possible to speak about ways to enhance emotional well-being and functioning in a non-judgmental setting with a therapist. Effective treatment for long-term grieving is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT and exposure strategies were shown to be effective in reducing the symptoms of sorrow and sadness in those who had just lost a loved one. Participants also reported an improvement in their mental health and social functioning.
Among the options for treating grieving that has gone on for an extended period of time are:
- Reflection on the death and dealing with the emotions that come with it brings up pleasant recollections of your time together
- Efforts to settle unsolved issues
- Emotional control and coping strategies are taught in this course.
- Relationships and attachments
Summary
It has been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 tr). Anxiety and depression may result from this, making it difficult to perform in a meaningful manner throughout the day.
As a mourning person, you may benefit from seeking assistance from a healthcare practitioner and a support network to learn how to cope with your loss.
Help Us Improve This Article
Have you discovered an inaccuracy? We put out great effort to give accurate and scientifically trustworthy information to our readers. Please notify us if you discover any typographical or grammatical errors.
Make a comment. We acknowledge and appreciate your efforts.
If you have any scale or any material related to psychology kindly share it with us at psychologyroots@gmail.com. We help others on behalf of you.
