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Depression
It is common for people to have sadness, pain, anger, bouts of
crying, and a depressed mood after a loved one dies. It is important to
know about normal grief responses so that you can know if the bereaved
person might be worsening into clinical depression.
About 1 in 5 bereaved people will develop major depression
(also called clinical depression). This condition can often be helped
by therapy and medicines. People at highest risk for clinical
depression include those who have been depressed before, those with no
support system, those who have had problems with alcohol or drug abuse,
or those who have other major life stresses. Symptoms of major
depression not explained by normal bereavement may include:
- constant thoughts of being worthless or hopeless
- ongoing thoughts of death or suicide (other than thoughts
that they would be better off dead or should have died with their loved
one)
- being unable to perform day-to-day activities
- guilt over things done or not done at the time of the loved
one's death
- delusions (beliefs that are not true)
- hallucinations (hearing voices or seeing things that are
not there), except for "visions" in which the person briefly hears or
sees the deceased
- slower body responses and reactions
- symptoms such as these lasting more than 2 months after the
loss
In some people, the grieving process can go on for a long
time. This happens more commonly in those who were very close to the
deceased. It is most often caused by attempts to deny or get away from
the pain or to avoid letting go.
Complicated grief
If normal mourning does not occur, or if the mourning goes on
for a long time without any progress, it is called "complicated grief"
or "unresolved grief." Symptoms of this may include:
- continued disbelief in the death of the loved one
- being unable to accept the death
- flashbacks, nightmares, memories that keep intruding into
thoughts over time
- severe and prolonged grief symptoms: anger, sadness, or
depression
- keeping a fantasy relationship with the deceased with the
feeling that he or she is always present and watching
- continuous yearning and searching for the deceased
- unusual symptoms that seem unrelated to the death (physical
symptoms, strange or abnormal behavior)
- breaking off all ties to social contact
For some people who are taking care of a loved one with a
long-term illness, complicated grief can actually start while their
loved one is still alive. Caregivers under severe stress especially if
the caregiver's outlook is bleak, may be at higher risk of having
abnormal grief even before the death.
If you or anyone close to the deceased has any of the above
symptoms of major depression or complicated grief, discuss it with a
qualified health or mental health professional. Treatment is important,
since people with complicated grief are at risk of their emotional
illness getting worse, and are at higher risk of committing suicide.
Last Medical Review: 01/17/2009
Last Revised: 01/17/2009
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