Definition:
Grief is a reaction to a major loss. It is most often an unhappy and painful emotion.
Alternative Names:
Mourning; Grieving; Bereavement
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Grief may be triggered by the death of a loved one. People also can experience grief if they have an illness for which there is no cure, or a chronic condition that affects their quality of life. The end of a significant relationship may also cause a grieving process. Everyone feels grief in their own way. However, there are certain stages to the process of mourning. It starts with recognizing a loss and continues until a person eventually accepts that loss. People's responses to grief will be different, depending on the circumstances of the death. For example, if the person who died had a chronic illness, the death may have been expected. The end of the person's suffering might even have come as a relief. If the death was accidental or violent, coming to a stage of acceptance could take longer.
References:
Moore DP, Jefferson JW. Secondary depression. In: Handbook of Medical Psychiatry. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby; 2004:chap 161. Shuchter SR, Zisook S. Grief and mourning. In: Jacobson JL, Jacobson AM. Psychiatric Secrets. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Hanley and Belfus;2001:chap 32.
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