The document discusses grief and bereavement. It defines grief as the physical, emotional and spiritual response to loss according to John Bowlby. It then describes symptoms of grief including physical, emotional, social and spiritual expressions. It discusses types of grief reactions such as anticipatory grief, normal grief, and complicated grief. It also discusses factors affecting grief responses and stages of grief according to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Finally, it provides tips for coping with grief and bereavement.

1. HD-301
Psychological Reactions to
Bereavement
and
Grief.
Submitted to :- Submitted by :-
Dr.(Mrs.) Sarita Saini Harmeen Kaur Grewal
L-2010-H.sc-13-BVI

2. GRIEF
According to John Bowlby, Grief is the physical,
emotional, somatic, cognitive and spiritual
response to actual or threatened loss of a person,
thing or place to which we are emotionally
attached. We grieve because we are biologically
willed to attach.

3. SYMPTOMS OF GRIEF
Grief is expressed physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
Physical expressions of grief often include , headaches, loss of appetite,
difficulty in sleeping, weakness, fatigue, nausea, aches, pains,
headaches, palpitations
Emotional expressions of grief include feelings of sadness and
yearning. But feelings of worry, anxiety, frustration, anger, crying ,
numbness, guilt are also normal.
Social expressions of grief may include feeling detached from others,
isolating yourself from social contact, and behaving in ways that are
not normal for you.
Spiritual expressions of grief may include questioning the reason for
your loss, the purpose of pain and suffering, the purpose of life, and the
meaning of death.

4. 123 West Main Street
New York, NY 10001 | www.carecounseling.com| P: 555.123.4568
F: 555.123.4567
• Anticipatory Grief
Anticipatory grief may occur when a death is expected.
Anticipatory grief may help the family but not the dying
person. Anticipatory grief does not always occur.
• Normal Grief/ Common Grief
Normal or common grief begins soon after a loss and
symptoms go away over time. Many bereaved people will
have grief bursts or pangs. Grief is sometimes described as a
process that has stages.
• Complicated Grief
There is no right or wrong way to grieve, but studies have
shown that there are patterns of grief that are different from
the most common. This has been called complicated grief.
It includes Minimal grief reaction and Chronic grief
reactions.
TYPES OF GRIEF REACTIONS

5. 123 West Main Street
New York, NY 10001 | www.carecounseling.com| P: 555.123.4568
F: 555.123.4567
The following factors affect the grief response-
• Whether the death is expected or unexpected.
• The personality of the bereaved.
• The religious beliefs of the bereaved.
• Whether the bereaved is male or female.
• The age of the bereaved.
• The amount of social support the bereaved has.
FACTORS AFFECTING
COMPLICATED GRIEF

6. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, identified five stages of grief :
1. Denial (this isn’t happening to me!)
2. Anger (why is this happening me?)
3. Bargaining (I promise I’ll be a better person if...)
4. Depression (I don’t care anymore!)
5. Acceptance (I’m ready to go on with life)

8. 123 West Main Street
New York, NY 10001 | www.carecounseling.com| P: 555.123.4568
F: 555.123.4567
Grieving a significant loss takes time. Depending on the
circumstances of your loss, grieving can take weeks to
years. Grieving helps you gradually adjust to a new
chapter of your life.
• Attend (or organize) memorial or funeral services.
• Talk to family or friends
• Seek counselling
• Get enough sleep or at least enough rest.
• Try and get some regular exercise.
• Keep a balanced diet.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Drink alcohol in moderation.
• Do what comforts, sustains & recharges.
• Engage in social activities
• Seek spiritual support
COPING WITH GRIEF

9. Supporting Others Who Are
Grieving

10. BEREAVEMENT
Bereavement is the period of sadness and loneliness
that we experience when we lose a loved one. When
we experience bereavement, we are trying to adjust
to the loss. We typically associate the feelings of
loss during bereavement with the death of a loved
one. However, the loss can be due to many factors.

11. How does bereavement affect older
people?
Older people’s responses vary greatly and coping with loss is not necessarily a by-
product of being older. Other losses in an older person’s life will affect how they
grieve the loss of someone close.
• existing health conditions
• communication and cognitive difficulties
• reduced social support
• changed living arrangements i.e. moving to sheltered housing
• financial difficulties.
However, people will also experience ageing in ways that will help them to cope
and adapt to losses.
 reciprocal support of and for family and friends
 better health for longer
 financial stability
 ability to work or contribute to society in a range of ways.

12. EFFECTS OF BEREAVEMENT
Physical effects of bereavement often include difficulty getting to
sleep, vivid dreams and long periods of wakefulness ,may lose appetite.
Some people feel tense and short of breath, or edgy and restless; others
feel slow and lethargic.
Emotional effects of bereavement include grief, emptiness and
depression, anger, fear, mixed feelings.
Social effects of bereavement may include feeling detached from
others, isolating yourself from social contact, and behaving in ways
that are not normal for you.
Spiritual effects of bereavement may include questioning the reason for
your loss, the purpose of pain and suffering, the purpose of life, and the
meaning of death.

13. Experts generally accept that there are four stages of
bereavement-
• Accepting that your loss is real
• Experiencing the pain of grief
• Adjusting to life without the person who has died
• Putting less emotional energy into grieving and putting it
into something new (in other words, moving on)

14. 123 West Main Street
New York, NY 10001 | www.carecounseling.com| P: 555.123.4568
F: 555.123.4567
• Do try to prepare yourself in advance of death
• Do express your emotions
• Do take great care of yourself
• Do try to guard against accidents in home and
ensure your home is secure
• Ensure to consult a doctor if your health is a worry
• Don’t let family or friends hurry you in making
important decisions
• Don’t enter into any financial arrangement you
don’t understand
• Don’t allow the funeral rituals to be expensive
• Don’t turn to drugs, alcohol or smoke
• Don’t move your home while you are still grieving
• Take it at your own pace don’t hurry the healing
process
COPING WITH BEREAVEMENT

16. 123 West Main Street
New York, NY 10001 | www.carecounseling.com| P: 555.123.4568
F: 555.123.4567
123 West Main Street
New York, NY 10001 | www.carecounseling.com| P: 555.123.4568
F: 555.123.4567
REFERENCES
• www.webmd.com
• www.caregiver.org
• www.healthfulmd.hubpages.com
• www.nhs.uk
• http://www.oldagesolutions.org/

17. It
gets better
Thank you