Nick McGill reports, "'Prolonged Grief Disorder' has now been added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the standard for psychiatric diagnosis.
Prolonged grief is described as 'intense longings for someone who’s passed or preoccupation with thoughts of someone who’s passed'. It can lead to things like intense emotional pain, feeling like a 'part of you' has died and problems engaging with friends, pursuing interests, or planning for the future. It can also lead to emotional numbness or intense loneliness."
If the American Psychiatric Association recognizes a new and prolonged form of grief, that means enough people are experiencing it for to be on their radar. When we experience loss, we crave structure and certainty. And with all the changes that of been happening the past few years, a lot of people haven’t been able to get their bearings and dig in and process the great that they’re going through. How am I going to deal with this? How will I move forward if I have no idea what tomorrow looks like?
Read the full story here