Complicated grief can be treated with traumatic grief therapy

BOSTON, MA — Sometimes, after the loss of a loved one, symptoms of grief linger and become increasingly debilitating. This condition, called complicated grief, has features of both depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And there is some evidence that a distinct type of treatment may bring relief, reports the October issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter.

The most characteristic symptoms of complicated grief are intrusive thoughts of the deceased person and a painful yearning for his or her presence. When grief is most severe, a person may deny the death or consider suicide.