WHAT IS GRIEF? - THE SYMPTOMS AND THE TREATMENTS
Grief and Loss:
Grief can be defined as the normal process of reacting to a loss. The loss may be physical such as a death, or social such as divorce, or occupational, such as a job. Emotional reactions of grief can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and despair. Losing someone can leave a void nothing can fill.
It feels like a hundred needles are being poked into your heart at once. There is a sharp shooting pain and a feeling of helplessness.
The feeling of loss is so strong that we feel our life will never get back to what it was like, earlier. The reality is that grief can last forever and you will not really get over the loss of a loved one, you will just learn to live with it.
Sooner or later, we learn to accept the loss and get back to living life the normal way.
This acceptance for some may take longer than the others. In this journey, to the point of acceptance some people may begin to feel the effects of grief and loss on mental health.
In some cases these symptoms maybe severe than others.
Symptoms:
It’s very natural and common to feel angry, lonely, hopeless and sad when experiencing the grieving process.
These emotions may vary from person to person. It often feels like an emotional rollercoaster and can be very overwhelming.
A few common symptoms of grief are :
Feeling sad continuously for a long period of time
The loss becomes the point of focus
Ignoring day to day activities due to depression
No desire to engage with people or attend social events
Detachment from your friends and family
Difficulty accepting the loss after ample time has passed
Experiencing strong emotions like anger and pain towards the loss
Grief in some cases can lead to depression but in most cases it can be overcome with time.
In rare cases, grief can cause psychosis or the development of psychotic symptoms.
These mental effects of grief can also impact a person’s behavior negatively.
Some may for example; start getting thoughts of self harm and suicide , while others may engage in drugs and substance abuse too.
Treatments :
Determining when normal grief becomes complicated grief can be difficult. Grief is a natural part of the healing process, but when someone develops a mental illness because of it, it becomes a necessity to treat it clinically.
Complicated Grief Therapy (CGT):
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. CGT is focused on helping people adapt to the loss in two clear ways. First step is to identify and work out the grief hurdles.
Once that is done, the second step is focused on creating natural adaptive processes.This treatment can be effective when done individually or in a group format.
For more information about Grief and how Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy can help or to book an appointment with a therapist that specializes in Grief please give us a call 647-267-9853 or email us info@vaughanpsychotherapist.com