When and Why Grief Endures Beyond 12 Months
In the most recent publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5-TR, the addition of “prolonged grief disorder” is now the focus of intense scrutiny because it carves out this disorder as a type of grief which goes beyond a year after a death / loss for adults and six months for children and adolescents. For multiple reasons, the medical community prefers to view grief and loss as something that can be completed within a short time frame. However, the very structure and nature of grief, with complex emotions and memories, isn’t time sensitive. I’ve found what compliments resilience and mental wellness isn’t a stop watch, but rather an understanding that grief can’t be folded neatly into a twelve month planner and seeking professional mental health help for grief is a testament to your depth of love. My Psychology Today piece about this was elevated by them to an “Essential Read”.
