Grief and Bereavement Essay

Although grief is experienced every day, most people do not have an understanding of what grief actually is. Grief is a deep sorrow, especially caused by someone 's death (Pbs). Death can be an overwhelming, painful, and frightening experience. Grief is classified as a strong, sometimes overwhelming emotion. Grief is a common and firsthand experience that deviates and is influenced by this loss. Grief consist of many stages and can be taken care of by medical treatments and with the proper help by therapist or another licensed professional. A person might find themselves feeling “numb” and empty, and not being able to go through daily life (mayoclinic.org). Grief is the normal, usual way of dealing with a irrecoverable loss of someone or something. Dealing with the pain can last for months or

The symptoms of normal and complicated grief lie on a continuum and mostly differ in intensity (Horowitz et al., 1993, as cited by Lichtenthal et al., 2004). However, other criteria can be used to differentiate between the symptoms, such as duration, intensity, differential symptoms and disruption of function (Stroebe et al., 2000, as cited by Lichtenthal et al., 2004). It is then stated that CG is referred to as ‘complicated’ as the disorder is uncertain and impact negatively on daily life (Prigerson et al., 1995, as cited by Lichtenthal et al., 2004). The review then describes the criteria of which potential symptoms of CG were to be assessed, in the initial stages. This included: grief symptoms must persist for over 2 months, be triggered by the death of a significant other, related to extended functional impairment and experienced by the top 20% of the

Some of the emotions that may be experienced due to grief include shock, helplessness and numbness (Sandra, 2009). Sometimes the most obvious signs of grief are seen by the expressions and emotions a person demonstrates while they grieve. Trauma may be experience due to the death of a loved one in a violent or unexpected way (Pomeroy, 2011). Shock may occur as an initial responses to the death of a loved one since it is the body’s protection from the onset of grief (“LIFE:When a loved one dies: coping with grief”, n.d.).

Grief is the act following the loss of a loved one. While grief and bereavement are normal occurrences, the grief process is a social construct of how someone should behave. The acceptable ways that people grieve change because of this construct. For a time it was not acceptable to grieve; today, however, it is seen as a necessary way to move on from death (Scheid, 2011).The grief process has been described as a multistage event, with each stage lasting for a suggested amount of time to be considered “normal” and reach resolution. The beginning stage of grief is the immediate shock, disbelief, and denial lasting from hours to weeks (Wambach, 1985). The middle stage is the acute mourning phase that can include somatic and emotional turmoil. This stage includes acknowledging the event and processing it on various levels, both mentally and physically. The final stage is a period of

The loss of a loved one is a painful experience followed by a period of grief and mourning. Bereavement is an experience most individuals will endure at least once in their lives. For most people symptoms such as persistent yearning for the deceased, intense emotional pain, preoccupation with the deceased, and overwhelming sense of sadness only last for a period of 12 months or less before the symptoms begin to subside. For approximately 2.4%-4.8% of the population grief symptoms persist for more than 12 months. These symptoms begin to impair their social and/or occupation functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This is a condition known as complicated grief (CG). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5), includes CG in the Appendix entitled ‘conditions for further study’. CG was proposed as an adjustment disorder when the DSM-5 was being written. A multitude of research had been completed to prove this was a maladaptive response to a significant stressor in an individual’s life (Bryant, 2014). Unfortunately, the American Psychiatric Association did not believe there was a sufficient amount of evidence to prove this constituted a formal diagnosis (Bryant, 2014). Nevertheless, this topic remains a prevalent concern in our society. Researchers have started to identify certain risk factors as well as mechanisms that cause CG (Shair, 2005). The intention

An analogy that is well used to describe how we all require time to grieve the loss of a loved one. Martin and Farris have found that while a person who is going through the grieving process, they will experience common grief reactions such as sleep disturbances, change in appetite, and a lack of motivation (2015). No amount of time will heal your loneliness, anger, despair, fear, or any other emotions you experience in your grief, unless you do the necessary grief work (Martin, Farris, 2015). At its core, grief may be the state of emotional unrest and frustration associated with wanting what one cannot have (Prigerson, Maciejewski, 2008). Holidays and anniversaries can be the most perplexing to defeat. For many who lose those close to them, certain events like Christmas can trigger loneliness (Martin, Farris, 2015). It is best for the individual to not endure these special holidays alone, but rather be surrounded by loving family and friends. If grief last more than twelve months a person can experience concerning feelings of grief such as overworking, increased alcohol intake, and attachment to objects (Martin, Farris, 2015). This response may be accompanied by difficulty accepting the death, anger over the loss, a diminished sense of identity, feeling that life is empty and problems in engaging in new relationships or activities (Bryant, 2012). When witnessing someone

Grief is a process that most everyone will go through at some point in his life. A person who is experiencing grief may have suffered loss of a loved one, loss of a job, or diagnosis of a terminal illness. The five stages of grief as described by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969 have helped in defining the steps one may go through after experiencing a loss. Every person has his own response to grief, so he may not go through every stage. This paper will examine the story of Job from the Bible and will compare his grieving process to that as defined by Kubler-Ross. The grieving process of the Jewish believer will also be discussed as well as this author’s thoughts on grief.

I think grief manifest itself in weeping, anger, depression, fear and loneliness. In my experience people usually are anger at God or themselves for not being there for the person who has died. I have seen people angry at God for taking their loved ones. For example a person I know died of lung cancer, the family was very angry at God because he didn’t cure her or because He took her too soon. Weeping is the most common way we express our grief. I have

This project was undertaken with the intention of helping people who lost a loved one and the social workers, doctors, ministers, and hospice workers who are charged with bringing them physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. The project was designed to be available in churches, synagogues, hospitals, hospices, and support groups. This project was developed to help alleviate the grieving’s emotional pain and to suggest ways of how the grieving can pick up the pieces of their lives.

Losing a loved one is often a very sad experience. For humans it is natural to mourn the loss of a loved one. Although everyone suffers differently, grief is a universal experience. For most people grief resolves naturally, but some people can face symptoms similar to that of major depression. Although the typical grief period carries on for about two to six months, people can now be diagnosed with major depressive disorder within weeks of experiencing symptoms. Even well-known psychologists such as Sigmund Freud have stated, “...although mourning involves grave departures from the normal attitude toward life, it never occurs to us to regard it as a pathological condition and to refer it to a medical treatment. We rely on its being overcome after a certain lapse of time, and we look upon any interference with it as useless or even harmful’’(Shear, 2011). The elimination of the bereavement exclusion from the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition will pathologize the normal grief process, which will soon lead to over diagnosis of major depressive disorder and blur the fine line between grief and depression.

Everyone experiences a very strong and sometimes overwhelming emotion, known as grief. As overwhelming as this emotion can be, it is a natural response for most human beings. Grief is known differently among individuals; some know it as “the mourning process” and others know it as a cultural expectation. This period of grief can also be known as bereavement which means experiencing loss, but only for a period, not forever. Besides how it is known, it is most commonly experienced after the loss of a loved one, or after receiving life threatening news. It is very important to know about grief and the stages it includes along with the peripheral issues associated with the grieving process. The stages of grief include loss,

better understand the process of grief. Research done by Strobe and Schut (1999, 2001) on the

Worden (1991) identified four main categories under which a broad range of grief reactions can be classified - feelings, physical sensations, cognitions and behaviors. Feelings include reactions of shock and numbness, sadness, anger and anxiety. Physical sensations can include shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, and, in some cases, even feelings of depersonalization. Common cognitions are disbelief, preoccupation with thoughts of the deceased and hallucinations (these last two are usually transient). Behaviors include sleep disturbance, eating difficulties and absentmindedness.

The passing of a loved one is a universal experience and every person will experience loss or heartache, at some point in their life. Some people obviously appear upset, some do not, grief is individual, dependent on; age, gender, development stage, personality, their normal stress reactions, the support available, their relationships or attachments, other death experiences, how others react to their own grief around them (Thompson & Hendry, 2012).

The symptoms of grief may be interpreted as the bereaved person attempting to search for