Abstract. Dysfunctional grieving represents a failure to follow the predictable course of normal grieving to resolution (Lindemann, 1944). When the process deviates from the norm, the individual becomes overwhelmed and resorts to maladaptive coping.
Extreme longing for the person who died. Prolonged disbelief over what happened. Feeling prolonged anger over their death. Feeling distant from others/Unable to rebuild relationships.
Intense sorrow, pain and rumination over the loss of your loved one. Focus on little else but your loved one's death. Extreme focus on reminders of the loved one or excessive avoidance of reminders. Intense and persistent longing or pining for the deceased.
It is natural to experience intense grief after someone close dies, but complicated grief is different. Troubling thoughts, dysfunctional behaviors or problems regulating emotions get a foothold and stall adaptation. Complicated grief is the condition that occurs when this happens.
This occurs when an individual is unable to progress satisfactorily through the stages of grieving to achieve resolution and usually gets stuck with the denial or anger stages. Prolonged response- preoccupation with memories of the lost entity for many years.
Psychotherapy. Complicated grief is often treated with a type of psychotherapy called complicated grief therapy. It's similar to psychotherapy techniques used for depression and PTSD, but it's specifically for complicated grief. This treatment can be effective when done individually or in a group format.
AVOIDANCE COPING :
Efforts are directed at avoiding the situation or memories & the emotions associated with it. Poor solution to changeable situations, but sometimes appropriate for short-term uncontrollable situations. Examples : over-eating, seeking out company, watching TV, etc.
What is the hardest stage of grief? Depression is usually the longest and most difficult stage of grief. Depression can be a long and difficult stage in the grieving process, but it's also when people feel their deepest sadness.
Cumulative Grief
Also known as grief overload or bereavement overload, this can be one of the more difficult forms of grief to recover from. Compounding loss can result in a feeling of “I just can't do this anymore.” But with the right therapy and guidance, you can move through all types of grief, including cumulative.
Prolonged grief disorder (PGD), also known as complicated grief (CG), traumatic grief (TG) and persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) in the DSM-5, is a mental disorder consisting of a distinct set of symptoms following the death of a family member or close friend (i.e. bereavement).
Grief can cause a variety of effects on the body including increased inflammation,8 joint pain, headaches, and digestive problems. It can also lower your immunity, making you more susceptible to illness. Grief also can contribute to cardiovascular problems, difficulty sleeping, and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Loss is a fact of life for all of us—whether it is failing to achieve a goal we set out for ourselves, losing a football game, having a friend move away, or experiencing the death of a loved one. Such losses can be a blow to our egos and create the emotional pain known as narcissistic injury.
Masked grief occurs when someone tries to suppress their feelings of grief and not deal with them or allow them to run their natural course. In the very early moments after a loss, our bodies and minds are clever in that the initial feelings of shock and denial are useful to us.
Secondly, disenfranchised grief means society does not recognize the death or loss; therefore, the griever does not receive strong social support and may be isolated.
Distorted grief
You can think of distorted grief as the type of grief someone is feeling in the case they get stuck in the anger stage of the stages of grief. Those who have distorted grief are angry, at the world, at others, at themselves. There is likely hostility, fighting, and even self-harm happening.
For a diagnosis of prolonged grief disorder, the loss of a loved one had to have occurred at least a year ago for adults, and at least 6 months ago for children and adolescents.
The death of a husband or wife is well recognized as an emotionally devastating event, being ranked on life event scales as the most stressful of all possible losses.
Silent grief, also known as disenfranchised grief, occurs when individuals feel they need to carry their pain alone and hide their emotions from the people around them. It usually occurs when a person feels others won't be receptive to their pain. Silent grief can occur for several different reasons.
Grievers avoid others because they are afraid and then isolate. Is anybody talking to anyone else, and if so, are they talking about anything important to the griever? Isolation and grief are not helpful for the griever.
There is no set length or duration for grief, and it may come and go in waves. However, according to 2020 research , people who experience common grief may experience improvements in symptoms after about 6 months, but the symptoms largely resolve in about 1 to 2 years.
Anticipatory grief is the normal mourning process that occurs when your loved one is still living and you are expecting his or her death. This type of grief reaction commonly occurs when someone has been diagnosed with a terminal illness or has been dealing with a chronic illness for a long period of time.
A person who behaves dysfunctionally: Avoids or represses their feelings. He or she has low self-esteem and lives their life in response to the opinions and needs of others. Neglects or abuses himself or others physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Types Of Dysfunctional Families
One or both parents have addictions or compulsions (e.g., drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, gambling, overworking, and/or overeating) that have strong influences on family members. One or both parents use the threat or application of physical violence as the primary means of control.