Loss, Grief, and Bereavement
Introduction
People cope with the loss of a loved one in many ways. For some, the
experience may lead to personal growth, even though it is a difficult and trying
time. There is no right way of coping with death. The way a person grieves
depends on the personality of that person and the relationship with the person
who has died. How a person copes with grief is affected by the person's cultural and religious
background, coping skills, mental history, support systems, and the person's
social and financial status.
The terms grief, bereavement, and mourning are often used in place of each
other, but they have different meanings.
Grief is the normal process of reacting to the loss. Grief reactions
may be felt in response to physical losses (for example, a death) or in response
to symbolic or social losses (for example, divorce or loss of a job). Each type
of loss means the person has had something taken away. As a family goes through
a cancer illness, many losses are experienced, and each triggers its own grief
reaction. Grief may be experienced as a mental, physical, social, or emotional
reaction. Mental reactions can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and
despair. Physical reactions can include sleeping problems, changes in appetite,
physical problems, or illness. Social reactions can include feelings about
taking care of others in the family, seeing family or friends, or returning to
work. As with bereavement, grief processes depend on the relationship with the
person who died, the situation surrounding the death, and the person's
attachment to the person who died. Grief may be described as the presence of
physical problems, constant thoughts of the person who died, guilt, hostility,
and a change in the way one normally acts.
Bereavement is the period after a loss during which grief is
experienced and mourning occurs. The time spent in a period of bereavement
depends on how attached the person was to the person who died, and how much time
was spent anticipating the loss.
Mourning is the process by which people adapt to a loss. Mourning is
also influenced by cultural customs, rituals, and society's rules for coping
with loss.
Grief work includes the processes that a mourner needs to complete before
resuming daily life. These processes include separating from the person who
died, readjusting to a world without him or her, and forming new relationships.
To separate from the person who died, a person must find another way to redirect
the emotional energy that was given to the loved one. This does not mean the
person was not loved or should be forgotten, but that the mourner needs to turn
to others for emotional satisfaction. The mourner's roles, identity, and skills
may need to change to readjust to living in a world without the person who died.
The mourner must give other people or activities the emotional energy that was
once given to the person who died in order to redirect emotional energy.
People who are grieving often feel extremely tired because the process of
grieving usually requires physical and emotional energy. The grief they are
feeling is not just for the person who died, but also for the unfulfilled wishes
and plans for the relationship with the person. Death often reminds people of
past losses or separations. Mourning may be described as having the following 3
phases:
- The urge to bring back the person who died.
- Disorganization and sadness.
- Reorganization.
Next: Grief and the phases of a life-threatening illness »
- Autopsy - Read about autospy and the situations in which one is mandatory or may be ordered upon death. Results of an autospy may be fairly quick, but if toxicology reports are necessary it may take weeks for the results.
- Anxiety - Read about anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder, GAD) causes, physical symptoms and signs, medications and treatment. Learn about symptoms (worry, fear) and other types of anxiety disorders.
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Read about posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (nightmares, flashbacks), causes (war, traumatic events), effects (depression, suicide) and treatment (medication, therapy).
Latest Medical News
Mental Health RSS