Types of grief Flashcards
What is ‘normal’ grieving?
Even though it’s ‘normal’ it still differs for everyone. People with a ‘normal’ pattern of grieving generally receive little external support, instead mostly receiving support from their family, community and environment.
What are the types of grief?
Normal grief, disenfranchised grief, exaggerated grief, chronic grief, delayed grief.
What is disenfranchised grief?
Disenfranchised grief is not considered socially acceptable or is invalidated by society. E.g. someone having an extramarital affair where the relationship is seen as unacceptable, the grief may also be seen as unacceptable. This can leave them with a lack of support system.
What is exaggerated grief?
Exaggerated grief is an overwhelming intensification of normal grief that may worsen over time. It can lead to a range of behaviors such as drug/alcohol abuse, thoughts of suicide and self-destructive behaviors.
What is chronic grief?
Chronic grief is when the grief lasts for a long period of time without subsiding or easing. Instead of working towards acceptance of the loss or a decline in the symptoms that are related to the grief, the individual continues to experience intense feelings of sadness over a long time.
What is delayed grief?
Delayed grief is where the feelings and emotions about the death of a loved one do not occur immediately, but instead long after the event happened. It could be because they are in denial about the death and therefore are denying the reality of the situations and prolonging the point where they will have to accept the death.
What are the psychological effects of grief?
Sadness (e.g. crying), Anger (e.g. feeling helpless or angry from being unable to accept the death), Self-reproach and guilt (e.g. guilt from something before the death like an unresolved fight, or guilt that they couldn’t prevent the death), Anxiety, Loneliness (isolation from losing someone close) and Fatigue.
What are the cognitive effects of grief?
Disbelief (unable to understand loss of loved one), Confusion (thoughts can become confused and disordered), Preoccupation (obsessive thoughts regarding the deceased), Sense of presence (feeling the deceased is somehow with them), Hallucinations (auditory or visual).
What are the physical effects of grief?
Emptiness in the stomach, breathlessness, depersonalisation, hypersensitivity to noise, a tight lump in the throat, and fatigue.
What are the similarities between grief and depression?
Similarities between grief and depression include sleeping too much or too little, as well as intense sadness and changes to appetite.
