5 things that can complicate grief when losing a loved one

Psychological grief is one of the most common emotional disorders that is worked on throughout the psychotherapy processes. While it is true that feeling great pain when losing a loved one is normal and does not constitute a psychological disorder in itself, It is also true that sometimes it can last too long or give way to a feeling that the circumstances outweigh the person.

Here we will focus on those cases in which the situation of loss emotionally overwhelms the person who suffers it, and we will see what they are the factors that can lead to the grief being complicated to the point of needing professional help.

• Related article: "The 8 types of emotions (classification and description)"

What is psychological grief?

We understand by psychological grief the phenomenon that occurs when a loss produces an alteration emotional meaning in a person, due to the emotional bond that united them with what they no longer this.

Normally, the most relevant and painful cases of psychological grief occur after the death of a loved one

, although technically they can also occur when you lose other important elements for yourself: a home, a job, or even a part of the body, for example. In any case, here we are going to focus on the one that occurs when losing a loved one.

As its name suggests, psychological grief is the grieving process as it is experienced by people, beyond cultural and anthropological phenomena of expression of loss, which are easy to observe (rituals, changes in clothing to carry, etc.).

Thus, psychological grief is one that is carried within and is subtly expressed through the actions of individuals, being unique in each person. However, in the context of psychology, many times the term "mourning" is simply used to refer to this phenomenon, given the context from which it is spoken.

Grieving is normal and part of the experience of loss. However, there are cases in which this discomfort reaches a degree of intensity that is too high, or gives rise to the appearance of other significant psychological problems, and lasts too long; in these cases there is what we call “complicated grief”, an emotional alteration that is a reason to go to psychotherapy and that is often related to the consolidation of a trauma.

It is important not to let the problem become chronic, since in these cases the memories related to the loss situation create a very deep emotional maca and painful in our mind, prone to frequently give us a hard time by not being able to relive those memories in a normal way, from the perspective of someone who has already overcome the situation.

Fortunately, both in cases where the complicated grief is beginning to occur and in those in which it is already has consolidated, it is possible to achieve a correct emotional management of all this if psychological help is available professional.

5 elements that facilitate the appearance of complicated grief

These are some of the factors that increase the risk that grief over the loss of loved ones is complicated by giving way to a psychological problem.

Of course, it must be borne in mind that it is only an increase in probabilities, and that none one of these elements is, by itself, the cause of persistent or excessive psychological grief. painful. In addition, there are cases in which none of these criteria are met and despite this, complicated grief appears, requiring professional help.

1. Presence of previous psychological disturbances

If the person had already developed psychological disorders before and these have not remitted or have not been treated, the Combination of this phenomenon with the onset of grief can lead to the generation of a new complication emotional. The presence of psychopathologies such as major depression and post-traumatic stress are especially relevant..

• You may be interested in: "Types of depression: their symptoms, causes and characteristics"

2. The death of a child

If the person who has died was a minor, especially if it is a son or daughter of the grieving person, the chances of a problematic form of grief are greatly increased.

3. Death occurred in a catastrophic event or in a very sudden way

When the loss has occurred in a situation of violence, it is easier for the duel to be complicated.

To a lesser extent, if the death has occurred in a very unexpected way, it also increases the chances that, for a long period, the person will feel that the situation overwhelms them. This is so because in cases in which there were already suspicions that a death would occur in a short time (for example, in cases of diagnosed severe illness), the person has more time to prepare for this lost.

4. Alterations associated with stress or anxiety

The feeling of emotional overflow produced by grief can become practically unbearable if the person was already facing a present full of pressures and "fronts to fight on", such as a delicate work situation, lack of money, and so on.

5. Isolation and lack of social support

People who mourn in a situation of social isolation, especially when it is a loneliness perceived as such by oneself, have fewer resources to cope with this experience, and are more likely to have problems in the emotional management of grief.

Are you looking for psychological support in the face of psychological grief?

If you are going through a process of psychological grief, get in touch with our team of professionals. On Psychomaster we offer psychotherapy to people of all ages through effective intervention modalities proven, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or EMDR therapy, among other

You can count on our services both in our center located in Madrid and through online therapy by video call. On this page You will find more information about how we work, and our contact information.

Bibliographic references:

• Archer, J. (1999). The nature of grief: The evolution and psychology of reactions to loss. London, England: Routledge.
• Bayés, R. (2001). Psychology of suffering and death. Barcelona: Martínez Roca.
• Bonanno, G.A. (2004). Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience: Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events?. American Psychologist. 59(1): 20 - 28.
• Neria, Y.; Gross R.; Litz B. et al. (2007). Prevalence and psychological correlates of complicated grief among bereaved adults 2.5-3.5 years after September 11th attacks. Journal of Traumatic Stress; 20: pp. 251 - 262.
• Winegard B.M.; Reynolds T.; Baumeister R.F.; Winegard B.; Maner J.K. (2014). Grief functions as an honest indicator of commitment. Personality and Social Psychology Review. 18(2): 168 - 186.
• Worden, W.J. (2004). Treatment of grief: psychological counseling and therapy. Barcelona: Paidós.