Medicines for Grief and bereavement

What it is

Grief is the natural, normal response to loss — most often the death of someone close (bereavement), but also other significant losses. It is not an illness, but a deeply human experience, and it can be intensely painful. Grief affects people in many ways and there is no single "right" way to grieve: it can bring a wide range of emotions (such as sadness, shock, numbness, anger, guilt, anxiety, longing, and sometimes relief), physical sensations (such as tiredness, poor sleep and appetite, and aches), and effects on thinking and daily functioning. These reactions can come in waves and change over time, and people may move back and forth between confronting the loss and getting on with life. There is no fixed timetable, and grief does not simply disappear, but for most people the intensity gradually eases over time as they adjust to the loss and find ways to carry it, while still remembering the person. Most people grieve without needing professional treatment, supported by those around them. However, some people experience grief that remains intensely painful, disabling and persistent over a long time (sometimes called prolonged or complicated grief), or develop depression or other difficulties, and these may benefit from additional support. Recognising when grief is following a difficult course, while respecting that grief itself is normal, is important.

How it is treated

For most people, grief is not something to be "treated" or hurried, but to be supported through — and understanding that grief is a normal response, with no fixed timeline or right way to do it, is itself reassuring. Support from family, friends, and community is central, along with self-care (such as allowing oneself to grieve, rest, eating and sleeping as well as possible, and being patient with oneself). Talking about the loss and the person, in one's own time, helps many people, and bereavement support services, support groups, and charities offer valuable help, including for particular losses (such as the loss of a child or a partner) and for children who are grieving. A GP can offer support and check on wellbeing. Additional help is considered where grief is following a more difficult course — for example, grief that remains intensely disabling and persistent over a long period (prolonged grief), or where depression, significant anxiety, or thoughts of self-harm develop; in these situations, psychological therapy (sometimes specifically for grief) and treatment of any depression can help. The key is to support the natural process while recognising and responding to the minority who need more help. Anyone with thoughts of self-harm needs prompt support. The reassuring message is that grief is a natural response to loss that most people move through with support from those around them and time, and that additional help is available for those whose grief becomes prolonged and disabling or is accompanied by depression.