People who suffer from sleep disruptions are at greater risk of developing complicated grief following the loss of a loved one.
Children who experience the death of a pet may experience long-lasting and profound grief, which could lead to subsequent mental health problems. Researchers found strong emotional attachment to a pet may result in measurable psychological distress that serves as an indicator of depression in children and adolescents for three years or more after their animal dies.
After the loss of a pet, many people report experiencing disenfranchised grief that can not be resolved and may turn into complicated grief. Validating a person's sense of grief with empathy and understanding can help resolve the pain of loss following the death of a pet.
PTSD in trauma survivors is associated with an increased risk of complicated grief following the death of loved ones. Complicated grief is marked with symptoms of grief lingering and worsening over time, rather than fading.
Researchers found no difference in the intensity of grief or the levels of distress between those who lost loved ones to medically assisted death or natural death in palliative care.
Using machine learning to analyze fMRI brain scans of grieving people, researchers shed light on how unconscious suppression occurs.
Studying 50 species of primates, researchers found 80% of the species studied performed corpse carrying behaviors as a way to process grief. Following the loss of an infant, some primate mothers carried the body for up to four months following death.
In the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, psychologists report on the best way to address such tragedies to young children and explore how to help teachers and those directly affected by the events.
More than 80% of patients nearing the end of life reported experiencing dreams that were vivid, meaningful, and transformative. Patients reported the dreams made them feel supported, reassured and helped them to accept their impending death.
Experiencing significant trauma due to being the victim or a first responder to a mass shooting leads to serious mental health disorders including PTSD, anxiety, and survivor's guilt. However, the effect of such an event extends beyond those directly affected. Researchers explore how mass shootings spark anxiety and fear, and can have negative implications on mental health for those who are not directly associated with the event.
For up to 7 years following the death of a grandmother, adolescent males show a 50% increase in depression symptoms than their non-grieving peers. Mothers of girls were also at increased risk of depression.
Cortisol levels are altered in people experiencing bereavement, causing possible consequences for health.
