Verified by Psychology Today
Verified by Psychology Today
Grief is a natural response to loss, which is always painful. There is no timetable on grief; it takes time to accept the loss of a loved one and rebuild life beyond it. But sometimes grief doesn’t end. When people have trouble adapting to the new reality more than a year out in ways that hamper their functioning, they can be considered to be experiencing prolonged grief, also sometimes called complicated grief.
This test is for anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one and, more than a year later, is preoccupied with thoughts of the loss.
If, more than a year after the loss of a loved one. you are experiencing intense feelings of grief that interfere with your ability to function, seeking the help of a therapist can be beneficial. Find a professional near you in the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
Prolonged Grief Disorder, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5-TR, American Psychiatric Association, 2022.
Prigerson HG, Maciejewski PK, Reynolds CF 3rd, Inventory of Complicated Grief: A Scale to Measure maladaptive Symptoms of Loss, Psychiatry Research 59 (1), 65-79, 1995.
Being overly polite might seem kind, but it often leads to problems anyway, in relationships, with friends, and at work.
