Complicated Grief Analysis

Words: 1875
Pages: 8

As I prepare for ministry in the role of the permanent Diaconate, one area of focus is developing my skills of attending to people who come to me seeking assistance. Just as there are many types of problems and assistance being sought, there are also many ways for me to attend or respond to the call for help. The purpose of this paper is to provide an exercise in this exchange of an individual, with issue, seeking assistance and an appropriate pastoral response to the afflicted person. In this example, the condition under investigation is a mental disorder commonly known as Complicated Grief. The condition is more properly referred to as “Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder” in the fifth edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual …show more content…
Next I will discuss some of the causes or triggers that can lead someone into complicated grief. Following the discussion of causes, I will provide some of the interventions and resources available locally available for referral for those suffering from complicated grief. Lastly, I will personalize my remarks by offering a reflection on what I would do pastorally to aid someone fighting complicated grief based on experience, learning, prayer and most importantly guidance from the Holy …show more content…
It is very sad that prior to the current version of the DSM manual (version 5) bereavement was always excluded from the adjustment disorders section. This often left those suffering from acute grief like symptoms due to complicated grief stuck indefinitely with an unrecognized condition. Furthermore, differentiating complicated grief from normal grief does not automatically occur after a specific duration, as everyone (normal grief) grieves differently from other people and even uniquely to each individual loss . Typically though, after one year, normal grievers have moved beyond the acute grief phase and begin to function socially again as they adjust to the integrated state of grief. Contrarily however, those suffering from complicated grief are unable to move forward from the acute grief phase and are debilitated by their acute grief indefinitely. Fortunately, considerable work has been performed in developing testing to help assess the presence of complicated grief. At the forefront of the issue of complicated grief is the burning question “What causes complicated grief?” the answer may not be so simple. Research does suggest it is most likely found in people with very high attachment and dependency levels, people suffering from sudden loss and people suffering from other mental health