Grief is completely normal to every human being. But some people may find it very difficult to move on after they experience loss of any sort, even with time.

What is grief?

Grief is the state of mourning and feeling pain after losing a loved one. It can also be referred to as the natural response to losing a loved one. It can be accompanied by feelings of hurt, deep loneliness, and sadness.

Other causes of sorrow may include;

  • Loss of a job
  • A miscarriage
  • A disease that either affects you personally or a loved one
  • The ending of a marriage, friendship, or a romantic relationship
  • An accident that causes disability

Grief manifests itself in different ways;

  • Physically
  • Emotionally
  • Spiritually

This happens after a traumatic and painful event. We all experience sorrow differently. The amount of time taken going through loss is not definite, and it differs with different people even after going through the same form of loss. Even though everyone experiences loss, there are different types of grieving which include:

  • Normal grieving
  • Complicated grieving

Normal grieving

Normal sadness is the form of heartache that is natural and necessary after a person experiences loss. While people go through sorrow differently, most people typically show some of the following characteristics temporarily when responding to loss in the days, weeks, or months afterward:

  • Withdrawal from social interactions
  • Crying and sobbing
  • Questioning religious and cultural beliefs
  • Change in sleeping patterns
  • Change in appetite like eating too little or not at all, or eating too much
  • Losing focus or concentration on things such as a job, a career, or a hobby
  • An overall lack of energy
  • Feelings of emptiness, sadness, deep loneliness, guilt, and depression

Complicated grieving

In the case of mourning, survivors respond to the feelings of loss more naturally. As time goes by, they bounce back to their normal lives. However, the survivor’s way of living becomes impaired when it comes to the complicated side, and they can’t function normally anymore. Research shows that complicated grief affects women and older people more than others. They may exhibit the following symptoms:

  • Suicidal thoughts and behaviors
  • Lack of focus on other things than the loss they are experiencing
  • Problems accepting loss
  • Intense feeling of sadness and loneliness
  • self-destructive behaviors such as alcoholism and drug abuse
  • Moments of deep anger, guilt, and rage

Everyone’s way of dealing with loss is unique, and no amount of time defines when it’s normal or complicated. But if someone finds it difficult to move on even after a significant amount of time, they should consider seeing a mental health practitioner or joining a bereavement support group.

Possible risk factors of complicated mourning

Factors that may increase the risk of suffering from complicated mourning may include:

  • Past history of depression or trauma
  • Past behaviors such as alcoholism and abuse of drugs
  • Social isolation
  • Death of a child
  • Financial hardship related to the loss
  • Loss is caused by suicide or homicide
  • Loss of a spouse or a partner with whom the person had a fulfilling relationship

How to treat complicated grief

Treatment of complicated grief mainly focuses on helping people to begin their healing process. However, it may take time since it evolves or comes accompanied by other mental conditions such as depression.

There are different ways to treat complicated mourning, which include:

  • Bereavement counseling
  • Family support system or support from family members
  • Traumatic bereavement therapy

Bereavement counseling

Bereavement counseling will help you monitor your grieving process and understand your emotions. Joining a bereavement help group will allow one to cope with the feeling of loss by understanding that there are people who know what they are going through.

Support from family members

When someone is going through loss, they need as much support from family and friends as possible. They need to feel they can always talk to someone when they need to.

Traumatic bereavement therapy

Traumatic bereavement therapy is another treatment that has proven to be effective. A doctor can use behavioral methods and interpersonal techniques. This way, doctors will determine the best treatment for their patient.

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