Grief Case Study

Grief is known as a deep and sometimes overwhelming sadness due to loss, or an impending loss (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Grief may be experienced by those who have recently been divorced, received a terminal diagnosis, lost a pet, job, or in the case of bereavement, a loved one. For the purpose of this manual, we will be focusing on bereavement grief.

After such a loss, a person may experience normal feelings of grief for a few months (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). When the feelings becoming debilitating and chronic, they may be symptoms of complicated grief, sometimes referred to as traumatic. Symptoms of complicated grief include extreme focus on the loss, intense longing for the deceased, problems accepting the death, detachment, preoccupation with your sorrow, bitterness about your loss, inability to enjoy life, depression, trouble carrying out normal routines, withdrawing from social activities, feeling that life holds no meaning or purpose, irritability or agitation, and lack of trust in others.

Although there is no known direct cause of complicated grief, risk factors have been found in several studies. Individuals who are grieving the loss of a loved one to a traumatic death (unexpected, violent, or untimely) may be at a higher risk for complicated grief (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Persons who are grieving the loss of a close loved one may be at a higher risk for complicated grief than those in a general bereavement population (Kersting, Brahler, Glaesmer, & Wagner, 2010). Those with lack of support, traumatic childhood experiences, and a lack of adaptability may also be at risk for complicated grief (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014).

New criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V) will be removing the ...

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...eness- Refers to the relationship between the members of the group. This especially applies to the grieving atheist population, because there is evidence that clients facing stigma and social isolation benefit the most from group therapy.

Catharsis- Refers to the open expression of affect, which is vital to the group therapeutic process. Without it, Yalom (2005) says the group would “degenerate into a sterile academic exercise.”

Existential Factors- Yalom (2005) refers to this as a confrontation of “our mortality, our freedom and responsibility for constructing our own life design, our isolation from being thrown alone into existence, and our search for life meaning despite being unfortunate enough to be thrown into a universe without intrinsic meaning.” In dealing with the death of a loved one, group members are indirectly confronting their own existential crisis.