The terms delayed grief and unresolved grief are variations of
grieving
Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cogniti ...
after a loss. The meaning of ''unresolved grief'' is any aspect of grieving that has yet to be resolved.
Overview
In cases of delayed grief, the reaction to the loss is postponed until a later time, even years later, and might be triggered by a seemingly unrelated event, such as a recent divorce
[''Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook'' by James William Worden, 2003]
p. 46
or even the death of a pet, but with reactions excessive to the current situation.
The delayed grief may manifest as any of the reactions in normal grief: pangs of intense yearning, spasms of distress, short bouts of hysterical laughter, tearful or uncontrolled sobbing, feeling of hopelessness, restlessness,
insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...
, preoccupation with thoughts about the loved one, extreme and unexplained anger, or general feelings of
depression. In extreme cases, reaction may invoke suicidal tendencies.
The term "delayed grief" is also used to describe a ''pattern'' in which symptoms of distress, seeking, yearning (etc.), are occurring at a much later time period than is typical.
["Bereavement, Mourning, and Grief", U.S. ]National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...
, web
Cancer-gov-HP-4
Delayed grief refers to any reaction that occurs later than usual, as a delayed onset of symptoms.
["Grief", ''Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying'', p. 28, Findarticles.com.] Contrast to the term "complicated grief"
[ as meaning a form of grieving that spans years (see full description at: ]Grief
Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cogni ...
).
Examples
In a 1987 study, of 135 people with cancer, who were referred for psychological counseling, 76% of them reported a previous grief experience, and 60% of the cancer patients still had unresolved grief from prior losses.
See also
* Anticipatory grief
Anticipatory grief refers to a feeling of grief occurring before an impending loss. Typically, the impending loss is the death of someone close due to illness. This can be experienced by dying individuals themselves and can also be felt due to no ...
* Complicated grief disorder
* Disenfranchised grief
Disenfranchised grief is a term coined by Dr. Kenneth J. Doka in 1989.This concept describes the fact that grief isn’t acknowledged on a personal or societal level in modern day Euro-centric culture. For example, those around you may not view you ...
* Prolonged grief disorder
Prolonged grief disorder (PGD), also known as complicated grief (CG), traumatic grief (TG) and persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) in the DSM-5, is a mental disorder consisting of a distinct set of symptoms following the death of a famil ...
References
Further reading
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*{{cite book , last1=Worden , first1=J. William , title=Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy , date=2009 , publisher=Springer , location=New York , isbn=978-0-8261-2456-2 , edition=4th
Grief