Traumatic grief is an extreme and unhealthy reaction to the death of a loved one, often leading to suicidal thoughts and impaired ability to function. It can occur when a spouse dies of natural causes and is more common among caregivers or extremely dependent people. Treatment includes medication and therapy, and symptoms must be present for at least two months for diagnosis.
Traumatic grief is an extreme and unhealthy reaction to the death of a loved one, usually a spouse. While traumatic grief is often part of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that can occur when a loved one is lost to a horrific event, traumatic grief can also occur when a spouse dies of natural causes. This type of grief is very different from normal grief or mourning. The person left behind typically experiences suicidal thoughts, a series of unusually strong reactions to daily life, and a host of other psychological problems that acutely impair the ability to function. Treatment of traumatic pain varies, although it usually includes a combination of medication and therapy. In severe cases, hospitalization may be appropriate.
While traumatic grief is relatively common when a spouse dies before its time and in a terrible way, such as in a natural disaster or by homicide, it occurs more often among caregivers or extremely dependent people. Some of the most common symptoms of this type of grief are obsession with a dead spouse, inability to accept that the spouse is no longer there, and an extreme need, at the expense of daily life, to find clues of a loved one. or avoid them all together. A long-term caregiver or someone with little interest outside the relationship with their spouse is usually more prone to these symptoms; the passing of the loved one brings with it the very core of the other’s existence. While these are the two most common groups of people who experience this condition, it is a possibility for anyone who loses a loved one; it’s surprisingly common in young children who lose a parent, for example.
It is also common for those experiencing traumatic grief to develop a strong fixation on reuniting with their spouse, to the point of contemplating or attempting suicide in order to do so. This disorder can also leave a person numb or with an extreme hatred for the rest of the world; it can often lead to severe insomnia as well. The person’s social life and interactions are also typically impaired, with little interest in interacting with the outside world. This can also turn into problems at work, with many finding themselves unable to concentrate enough to do their job or even get to the office.
For traumatic pain to be diagnosed, symptoms must be present for at least two months. This is mainly because even those with normal pain may experience symptoms briefly at one point or another. Traumatic pain is usually treated with a combination of therapy and antidepressants. Left untreated, this type of pain can give way to many other mental health problems that may require medications other than antidepressants, such as antipsychotics, and possibly hospitalization.
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