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Abstract
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Prolonged grief disorder, which is now included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) as of March, 2022,1
has a remarkably easy symptom threshold to meet, and its inclusion is a huge mistake that solves no existing problem and creates many new ones. There is no uniform expiration date on normal grief. This is particularly true when the relationship with the person who died was very close or the death was catastrophic, such as deaths by suicide, homicide, or accident, or the death of child.
Additionally, responses vary greatly depending on individual, familial, and cultural norms, the availability of family and social support, characterological traits, trauma, or loss history, and the presence of other stressors.
Pathologising grief is an insult to the dignity of loving relationships--it proclaims grievers as mentally ill and will too often result in the careless prescription of antidepressants or other drugs to treat enduring symptoms, without consideration of the context. The misuse of psychiatric medication for grief will be particularly problematic in primary care, where most antidepressants are prescribed.
This pathologising reflects the undue influence that a small group of researchers can exert on the diagnostic system...
Language: en |