Explain how a grief reaction can become a disorder. Is it possible to predict who will develop complicated grief?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Sample Answer: If someone you love has died-particularly if the death was unexpected and the person was a member of your immediate family-you may, after your initial reaction to the trauma, have experienced most of the symptoms of a major depressive episode: anxiety, emotional numbness, and denial. The frequency of severe depression following the death of a loved one is so high that mental health professionals at present do not consider it a disorder unless severe symptoms appear, such as psychotic features or suicidal ideation, or the less alarming symptoms last longer than six months. Some grieving individuals require immediate treatment because they are so incapacitated by their symptoms (e.g., severe weight loss or no energy) that they cannot function.Usually the natural grieving process has peaked within the first six months, although some people grieve for a year or longer. After a year or so, the chance of recovering from severe grief without treatment is considerably reduced, and for approximately 10% to 20% of bereaved individuals, a normal process becomes a disorder. At this stage, suicidal thoughts increase substantially.Many of the psychological and social factors related to mood disorders in general, including a history of past depressive episodes, also predict the development of a typical grief response into a complicated grief, although this reaction can develop without a preexisting depressed state. In children and young adults, the sudden loss of a parent makes them particularly vulnerable to severe depression beyond the normal time for grieving, suggesting the need for immediate intervention