Bereavement
Bereavement is experienced when a loved one dies. Bereavement can involve strong emotions. It is a part of life that can feel unbearable. Bereaved people may feel OK one day and worse the next. In the UK, a country with a population of 61,400,000 people, the annual mortality rate is 700 in every 100,000 males and 499 in every 100,000 females (ONS). Although bereaved people are everywhere, their pain is private, as our western culture often avoids the subject.
Symptoms
When a loved one dies, people are often shocked, numbed, or dazed. They may feel overwhelming sadness, cry a lot, and become exhausted. Anger is a part of bereavement. People often feel angry at the person who died, an illness, doctors, nurses, or God if they have a faith, for leaving them with so much pain. Guilt is common in bereavement, about being angry, saying or not saying something, or for not having been able to save the loved person.
Causes
It is believed there are four stages in bereavement. These are accepting the loss is real, experiencing the pain of grief, adjusting to life without the person who died, and letting go of them in order to allow someone or something new in. People navigate this process. Others cannot cope. If you are concerned about a problem do not diagnose yourself. Always consult your GP or a therapist who is qualified to both diagnose the issue and help you work through it.