Bereavement

What is bereavement?

Bereavement, or grief, is a multi-dimensional response to loss. While it is traditionally centred on emotional responses, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioural and social dimensions. While bereavement and grief are used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss while grief is the reaction to that loss.

Losses range from the death of a loved one, employment, family pets, status, order or possessions and as such, responses to loss vary.

What are the symptoms?

The 'grief cycle', whereby those grieving travel through stages such as denial, anger, depression and acceptance, has become well known, however many people who work in bereavement counselling find this model too simplistic.

Researchers are moving away from the traditional theory that people go through a series of responses to loss, in a predictable timeframe and order, to a theory that identifies the plethora of responses which are influenced by personality, family and a person's status within that family, cultural surroundings and religious beliefs.

If grief is normal, why should I be concerned?

Although bereavement is a part of life that every person will go through, there is a degree of risk if support for the person is not available. Severe reactions can have waterfall effects on other members of a family or group of friends, and may cause particular trauma for children and spouses. There is an increased risk, for instance, in marital breakdown following the death of a child. Grounded and relied upon beliefs can be re-evaluated and tested as a person questions their faith when dealing with intense pain.

Coping with grief

The increased risks of stress-related illnesses in people who are dealing with bereavement have been researched for some time. Sleep disorders and nightmares are common, in addition to physical symptoms such as difficulties in breathing, abdominal pain and dryness of mouth. Furthermore, it has been reported that hallucinatory experiences may be normal in the early stages of grief.

When the grief related to the death of a person is a sudden shock - suicide, murder or accident for instance - complicated grief responses can be triggered. The story of the loss is difficult to tell and to understand; as such the grieving person struggles to even believe it has happened. Complicated grief can last for years and can worsen one or two years after the initial loss.

Letting go and releasing grief can be a further complication for those grieving as it becomes part of their identity. Research indicates that complicated grief activates neurons in the reward centre of the brain which can become addictive.

Bereavement will affect people differently throughout their life cycle and will depend on the role that person has in society, culture and family. Many of the manifestations of grief are age related and the kind of loss the person is dealing with must also be taken into consideration when deciding how to help.

How Priory can help

Priory has been helping people cope with bereavement for over 25 years. We know that everyone's situation is different, which is why we ensure that everyone has a unique treatment plan tailored to their needs.

The type and length of treatment is dependent on the individual's circumstances and the severity of the condition. Some patients are treated as outpatients, which means they come to Priory for hourly sessions with their consultant, psychologist or therapist. Others require a more structured treatment approach which can include staying at one of the Priory hospitals for the duration of their treatment where they take part in the psychological group programme as well as regular sessions with their consultant.

For more information or to request an initial assessment, please call 0845 2 PRIORY (0845 2 774679) or email info@priorygroup.com. To view a list of the Priory hospitals that can help with bereavement please click here.

For more support

If you feel you may be adversely affected by grief and bereavement and would like help or more information, you can ask your GP or contact any of the following organisations:

The Samaritans
www.samaritans.co.uk
08457 909090

Priory
www.priorygroup.com
0845 2 PRIORY (0845 2 774679)

If you are interested in receiving treatment from us, your GP will be able to refer you.

For more information on Bereavement please download our self-help leaflet by clicking here.