Too long in grief can be pathological

Too long in grief can be pathological

18/11/2014

Anyone who loses a loved one often suffers and grieves long. According to experts, however, therapist help should be sought if the grief still persists after half a year, as it could be pathological.

For too long grief help should be sought
Even if grief is understandable and natural, it can also be pathological. If, six months after the loss of a loved one, people are still severely trapped in desperation and are not finding their way back into everyday life, they should consult a therapist for advice. The diagnosis could be pathological mourning and then sufferers can help a therapy to overcome the grief. Like Prof. Dr. Anette Kersting from the University of Leipzig, which researches on the subject of grief, explained in a message from the dpa news agency, are "further signs that sufferers feel their lives as meaningless and meaningless and intensively yearn for the deceased".

Affected can help psychotherapy
According to the data, the expert was able to prove in a study that nearly seven percent of people in Germany who had experienced a loss develop pathological mourning. In addition, studies have shown that patients who get stuck in the mourning process need specific therapy offers. In a press release, Ms. Kersting stated: „Antidepressants do not work on mourners unless they additionally suffer from depression.“ To cope with their grief, sufferers can help with psychotherapeutic treatment. In addition, self-help groups offer the opportunity to exchange ideas.

Health consequences of grief
As researchers have discovered in recent years in various studies, mourning can have numerous health consequences. In a study, US scientists at Harvard University came to the conclusion that severe grief also increases the risk of myocardial infarction. This has to do with the often caused by a bereavement high blood pressure, the associated stress as well as a possibly stronger blood clotting. The researchers also said that mourners often suffer from sleep deprivation and eating disorders. (Ad)