Grief is the normal mix of thoughts, feelings and actions that happens when we lose something. Grief can have some of the same signs as depression, but grief and depression are not the same. Everyone feels grief when they lose something important, but everyone grieves differently. There is no right or wrong way to grieve.
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Grief—Complicated? Or Not?
As a mental health worker and as a bereavement consultant, I have struggled to clearly understand if a griever is experiencing complicated grief—recognized by the medical community as a psychiatric condition—or not. Is it complicated grief with already-present mental health and/or addiction issues? Or is it the natural expression of grief exaggerated by these issues?
Depression is a mental illness. It affects the way you feel. The way you feel is called your mood.…
Visions article: Grief—Complicated? Or Not?
Kay Johnson, MA, BHSc (Psychiatric Nursing), RN
Reprinted from the "Trauma and Victimization" issue of Visions Journal, 2007, 3 (3), pp. Read more
