Grief and Loss in Adults

Introduction

Grief is not limited to feelings of sadness. It can also involve guilt, yearning, anger, and regret. Your grief can be impacted by any number of things, including but not limited to their unique relationship with the individual, how the individual died, their support system, past experiences with death, and their unique strengths and weaknesses when it comes to dealing with stress, adversity, and high emotion. People in grief can bounce between different thoughts as they make sense of their loss. 

Healing from Grief and Loss in Adults - Finding Hope and Methods of Recovery Through Mental Health Counselling at Skooc | Meet the best therapists to know more

The different feelings, thoughts, and behaviours people express during grief can be categorized into two main styles:

• Instrumental grieving has a focus primarily on problem-solving tasks. This style involves controlling or minimizing emotional expression.

• Intuitive grieving is based on a heightened emotional experience. This style involves sharing feelings, exploring the lost relationship, and considering mortality.

You can be rest assured that at Skooc, you and your family are in good hands. 

Symptoms

Grief is as unique as the people who experience it, but some reactions to grief are universal and considered normal or typical. Keep a lookout for some of the following signs of grief and loss:

• Talks about heaviness in the chest or tightness in the throat, An empty feeling in the stomach and a loss of appetite, Sleeplessness or troubling dreams.

• Anger and lashing out at others, sometimes at any time for no reason, Intense anger at the deceased for dying, and later feelings of guilt for being angry.

• Mood changes over the slightest things, Unexpected outbursts or crying.

• Feelings of restlessness and simultaneous difficulty concentrating on a task at hand.

• A feeling that the loss isn't real and didn't happen at all.

• Sensing the deceased's presence, expecting the deceased to walk through the door at the usual time, hearing his or her voice, or a sensation of "seeing" the deceased out of the corner of their eye.

• Talking to pictures, Conversing with the deceased in a special place.

• Assuming mannerisms, traits or wearing clothes that were favourites of the deceased.

• Emotional regression and even bed-wetting, which can be very upsetting for teenagers.

• A need to retell and remember things about their loved one, to the point of repetition that becomes a burden to others.

• An inability to say anything, or the need to be overly responsible, distracting themselves from their own feelings by taking care of everyone else.

If you notice recurring instances of a few of these symptoms in your teenager, we at Skooc recommend a formal evaluation. 

Diagnosis

At Skooc, we help you better understand what you are going through. Complicated grief may be considered when the intensity of grief has not decreased in the months after your loved one's death. Some mental health professionals diagnose complicated grief when grieving continues to be intense, persistent and debilitating beyond 12 months.

There are many similarities between complicated grief and major depression, but there are also distinct differences. In some cases, clinical depression and complicated grief occur together. Getting the correct diagnosis is essential for appropriate treatment, so a comprehensive medical and psychological exam is often done.

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Next Steps and Intervention

Our team of professional psychologists at Skooc can help you by providing the necessary interventions. At Skooc, we work with you to help you fully process your loss and grief on the deepest level possible. It's especially important to address any aspects of the loss or experience that has gone unaddressed or avoided until this time and therefore continues to keep you stuck in this stage. 

Therapy can be effective when done individually or in a group format. This involves exploring topics such as grief reactions and adjusting to your loss, and redefining your life goals. These sessions involve holding imaginary conversations with your loved one and retelling them the circumstances of the death to help you become less distressed by images and thoughts of your loved one. Through these sessions, you can explore and process thoughts and emotions, improve coping skills and reduce feelings of blame and guilt.