Which indicates pathological grief in a person whose child died 10 months ago?

Which indicates pathological grief in a person whose child died 10 months ago?

• A. The client reports occasional dreams where the daughter is comforting the client
• B. The client reports setting a place at all meals for the daughter
• C. The client reports intense crying episodes up to 4 months ago
• D. The client is ambivalent about passing the site where the accident occurred

Answer: (B)

Pathological grief, or complicated grief, occurs when mourning remains persistent and disruptive, with rituals or preoccupations that keep the person emotionally tied to the loss and interfere with functioning. Setting a place at every meal for the daughter is an external, ongoing ritual that keeps the deceased present in daily life and prevents moving forward. At ten months after the death, this level of persistent ritualization strongly suggests a grief pattern that is no longer adaptive. Dreams of the deceased can be a normal part of mourning and don’t by themselves indicate pathology. Intense crying that occurred only up to four months ago aligns with the expected intense emotions of the initial mourning period and may resolve over time. Ambivalence about passing the site of the accident can occur in normal grief as reminders arise, but it isn’t by itself a clear indicator of a pathological pattern.

Pathological grief, or complicated grief, occurs when mourning remains persistent and disruptive, with rituals or preoccupations that keep the person emotionally tied to the loss and interfere with functioning. Setting a place at every meal for the daughter is an external, ongoing ritual that keeps the deceased present in daily life and prevents moving forward. At ten months after the death, this level of persistent ritualization strongly suggests a grief pattern that is no longer adaptive.

Dreams of the deceased can be a normal part of mourning and don’t by themselves indicate pathology. Intense crying that occurred only up to four months ago aligns with the expected intense emotions of the initial mourning period and may resolve over time. Ambivalence about passing the site of the accident can occur in normal grief as reminders arise, but it isn’t by itself a clear indicator of a pathological pattern.