Overview
Complicated grief is long-lasting grief that occurs after a loss. It causes intense emotions and consuming thoughts that don’t fade over time and can affect your daily life.
Grief is a natural way of coping with a loss. It can feel like you’re stuck in the mud, lost in a fog or trudging through water. You may experience pain, sadness and/or anger. Grief usually lessens over time — when you’re ready to continue forward at your own pace. But complicated grief doesn’t go away on its own. It can wear on you physically and emotionally, more than what’s usually expected after a loss.
If you have complicated grief, you may feel:
- Overwhelmed about the cause or circumstances of a loss.
- Worried about the consequences of a loss.
- Like you need to avoid or push away reminders of loss.
A healthcare provider may refer to complicated grief as:
- Prolonged grief.
- Chronic grief.
- Persistent complex bereavement disorder.
What is the difference between normal grief and complicated grief?
Grief can affect each person differently. What separates complicated grief from other types of grief is that it’s persistent for six months to a year after a loss. It affects your ability to function and go about your day as you would have before the loss happened.
Does each person have a different grieving process?
Yes. While people who experience loss grieve, the way that each person processes loss can vary based on their:
- Background.
- Beliefs.
- Relationship to what or who they lost.
Everyone you meet has their own personality that’s unique to them and their environment. This can influence how that person copes with a loss and processes grief.
How common is complicated grief?
Complicated grief affects an estimated 7% of all adults who experience grief. Complicated grief or prolonged grief disorder is a relatively new addition to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), so research is ongoing to learn more about it.
Symptoms
When to see a doctor
Complications
- High blood pressure.
- Diabetes.
- Heart failure.
- Some types of heart valve disease.
Prevention
- Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- Don't smoke or use tobacco.
- Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
- Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce and manage stress.
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