Causes and Signs of Complicated Grief

The loss of a loved one can be traumatic. It is something to which we never fully adjust. When someone we love dies, we experience emotional and physical pain that comes with it. All of this is normal as this is our way of processing our loss. If it is not complicated grief, then this part of mourning is typically expected to last a couple of weeks or just a few months.

These painful emotions can be quite tense in the beginning. But it is expected that with time and adjustments, these feelings will start to subside and those that have lost will start moving on with their life.

Complicated grief, however, means that the person who has experienced loss will unfortunately not experience the transitionary nature of grieving. Instead, this person stays stuck in his or her pain and cannot move forward. It occurs when grief lingers or does not subside, and in certain cases, the painful emotions intensify.

Signs of complicated grief

Complicated grief can look like normal grief at first. All that is experienced in normal grief is also experienced in complicated grief. What distinguishes the two are the following factors:

Duration.

When it comes to grieving, there is a period in which someone is expected to experience intense grief and loss of a loved one. If these feelings persist after six months of loss, the person might be suffering from complicated grief and might need to see a mental health professional.

Intensity.

Where feelings of grief and loss are supposed to start subsiding and the person starts to regain strength for daily living, those struggling with complicated grief do not experience this reduction in intensity. At times it is just as strong as the day the loved one died, or the feelings intensify with time.

Disruption of daily life.

Complicated grief interrupts a person’s normal functioning, be it at work or as a parent, spouse, or student. Returning to normal life and its duties and roles becomes so difficult that some people even lose their jobs and or their relationships suffer.

Seven symptoms have been compiled that are used to assess if someone is suffering from complicated grief. One needs to be experiencing four or more of these consistently for a diagnosis of complicated grief. The seven components are as follows:

• Intense emotional pain that is not subsiding.
• Difficulty accepting death and living in denial of what happened.
• Avoiding places and things that remind you of the deceased person.
• Intense feelings of loss and emptiness.
• Loss of social, recreational, and work interests.
• A significant change in sleeping patterns.
• Wishing the deceased person was still around.

What causes complicated grief?

It can be challenging to pinpoint exactly why some people experience complicated grief and some do not. However, certain factors make some people more prone to it. Below are some possible causes:

• Dependent relationship with the deceased.
• Prior mental health problems like depression, anxiety, PTSD.
• History of substance abuse.
• Grief overload of losing so many things and people at the same time.
• Sudden, unexpected, or traumatic loss.
• The loss of a child.

Grief counseling in Mission Viejo

Grief is a challenging emotion, no matter when it hits. As soon as you are dealing with grief, it’s wise to seek help from a mental health professional. You can be advised on which tools and healthy coping skills to use to work through your grief.

If you feel that you or a loved one might be experiencing complicated grief, please get in touch with us at Mission Viejo Christian Counseling in California. The Christian grief counselors in Mission Viejo will help you in this journey and equip you with what you might need in this difficult time.