Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder
Losing a loved one is one of the most distressing and, unfortunately, common experiences people face. Most people experiencing normal grief and bereavement have a period of sorrow, numbness, and even guilt and anger. Gradually these feelings ease, and it’s possible to accept loss and move forward.
For some people, feelings of loss are debilitating and don’t improve even after time passes. This is known as complicated grief, sometimes called persistent complex bereavement disorder. In complicated grief, painful emotions are so long lasting and severe that you have trouble recovering from the loss and resuming your own life.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: PW160
Diagnosis: Complex Bereavement and Complicated Grief Disorders
US Patients: A minority of the bereaved population
World Patients:
Sex Ratio: F
Age Onset: 61+
Brain Area:
Symptoms: Grief and functional impairment last more than 6-12 months; continuous emotional dysregulaton, social isolation & suicidal thoughts
Progression: Non-western cultures appear to retain the grief and difficulties longer than Western cultures.
Causes: conditions prior to the death, major depression, PTSD and sleep disorders, often make it worse. Low income, pessimistic
Medications:
Therapies: CGT-Complicated Grief Therapy-a helpful 16-week therapy session.
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- A systematic review of loneliness in bereavement: Current research and future directionsby Anneke Vedder on July 22, 2021
Bereaved people suffer from loneliness and loneliness is associated with poor mental health. In this study, this topic is reviewed. An agenda is suggested for future research. Research that is theory-driven, addresses measurement consistency, correlates of loneliness in bereaved and non-bereaved, and treatment is necessary for prevention and intervention.
- Upward and Downward Counterfactual Thought After Loss: A Multiwave Controlled Longitudinal Studyby Maarten C Eisma on May 15, 2021
Counterfactual thoughts, mental simulations about how a situation may have turned out differently (i.e., "if only …, then …"), can reduce mental health after stressful life-events. However, how specific counterfactual thought types relate to post-loss mental health problems is unclear. We hypothesized that self-referenced upward counterfactuals (i.e., "If only I had done …, then the current situation would be better") may serve as cognitive avoidance, thereby perpetuating loss-related distress....
- Bereavement interventions to support informal caregivers in the intensive care unit: a systematic reviewby Stephana J Moss on May 13, 2021
CONCLUSIONS: Currently available trial evidence is sparse and does not support the use of bereavement interventions for informal caregivers of critically ill patients who die in the ICU.
- Disenfranchised grief and Covid-19: How do we make it less painful?by Smitha Ramadas on April 28, 2021
The devastating effects of death due to Covid-19 on the bereaved are not adequately addressed. The grief associated with death during the Covid-19 pandemic is disenfranchised and complicated and has significant repercussions on the bereaved. The lockdown, social distancing norms, isolation due to disease or quarantine and infectivity of the disease, place restrictions on the traditional mourning practices. Misconceptions also play a role. Dignity and ethics are frequently breached, perhaps...