Grief: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

P Grief is a reaction to a major loss of someone or something. It is most often an unhappy and painful emotion.

T Causes
P 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 grieving.
P Everyone feels grief in their own way. But there are common stages to the process of mourning. It starts with recognizing a loss and continues until a person eventually accepts that loss.
P 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 might take longer.

T Symptoms
P One way to describe grief is in five stages. These reactions might not occur in a specific order, and can occur together. Not everyone experiences all of these emotions:
- Denial, disbelief, numbness
- Anger, blaming others
- Bargaining (for instance, "If I am cured of this cancer, I will never smoke again.")
- Depressed mood, sadness, and crying
- Acceptance, coming to terms
P People who are grieving may have crying spells, trouble sleeping, and lack of productivity at work.

T Exams and Tests
P Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms, including your sleep and appetite. Symptoms that last for a while may lead to clinical depression.

T Treatment
P 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
- Social workers
- Support groups
P The acute phase of grief often lasts up to 2 months. 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.

T Support Groups
P Joining a support group where members share common experiences and problems and help relieve the stress from grieving especially if you have lost a child or spouse.

T Outlook (Prognosis)
P It may take a year or longer to overcome strong feelings of grief and to accept the loss.

T Possible Complications
P Complications that may result from ongoing grief include:
- Drug or alcohol use
- Depression

T When to Contact a Medical Professional
P Call your provider if:
- You can't deal with grief
- You are using excessive amounts of drugs or alcohol
- You become very depressed
- You have long-term depression that interferes with your daily life

T Prevention
P Grief should not be prevented because it is a healthy response to loss. Instead, it should be respected. Those who are grieving should have support to help them through the process.

T Alternative Names
P Mourning; Grieving; Bereavement

T References
P American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. 2013.
P Powell AD. Grief, bereavement, and adjustment disorders. In: Stern TA, Fava M, Wilens TE, Rosenbaum JF, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 38.

T Review Date 2/21/2016
P Updated by: Timothy Rogge, MD, Medical Director, Family Medical Psychiatry Center, Kirkland, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

