Mourning; Grieving; Bereavement

Family and friends can offer emotional support during the grieving process. Sometimes outside factors can affect the normal grieving process, and people might need help from:

• Clergy
• Mental health specialists
• Self-help groups
• Social workers

The acute phase of grief usually lasts up to 2 months. Some milder symptoms may last for a year or longer. Psychological counseling may help a person who is unable to face the loss (absent grief reaction), or who has depression with grieving.

You can help the stress of grieving by joining a support group, where members share common experiences and problems.

See also:

• Loss of a child - support group
• Loss of a spouse - support group

It may take a year or longer to overcome strong feelings of grief, and to accept the loss.

Grief and loss can affect your overall health. It can lead to depression or excessive alcohol or drug use. Grief that lasts for more than two months and is severe enough to interfere with daily life may be a sign of more serious illness, such as major depression. Medication may be helpful.

Call your health care provider if:

• You can't deal with grief
• You are using excessive amounts of drugs or alcohol
• You become very depressed
• You have prolonged depression that interferes with your daily life

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Grief Symptoms

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Grief Prevention

Review Date: 02/18/2010
Reviewed By: Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Michelle Benger Merrill, MD, Instructor in Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)