Complicated Grief May Have Chemical Causes

Complicated grief is the medical term for someone who grieves for months or years after the beloved has died and does not move on with the stages of grief. The grief is just as strong as when the day their beloved died. Granted, grief is a very individual process and everyone needs their own span of time to grief. This kind talking of grief is unhealthy grief, when it consumes your life almost like an obsession. Treating complicated grief is dicey at best.

Just what causes complicated grief in some people and not others? Currently, no one knows why. But a UCLA study published in 2008 suggests that there may be a physical and potentially treatable reason for complicated grief. The University of Pittsburgh is currently conducting another study on complicated grief which may or may not back up this study.

Addicted to Grief?

The study looked at 23 women in grief over the loss of a close family member. 11 had complicated grief, while 12 had "normal" grief and acted as a control group. They underwent MRI scans as they were given photos to look at. Whenever photos of who they were grieving for appeared to those with complicated grief, the pleasure centers of their brains became very active.

Although this suggests that people choose to go into complicated grief because it feels good, the study's lead author Mary-Francis O'Connor, warns that there's a lot more complicated issues going on. She also stresses that someone in complicated grief feels bad rather than good.

The Practical Upshot

This writer suffers from complicated grief. Some days are worse than others. Handling grief became easier when my doctor placed me on an antidepressant (I also suffer from major depression), but medication may not help everyone. I try to keep busy in order to not become overwhelmed by grief. Sometimes, the pain is just as sickening decades later as when I first realized my pet or my friend was dead. This grief does not feel pleasurable, but it is all-encompassing and can make even simple tasks tremendously difficult.

Although it doesn't bring a lot of relief for those with complicated grief, you do have proof that what you have been saying all along is correct. Perhaps the most practical part of clinical studies is that people in complicated grief are not just being uncooperative or difficult. There is genuine suffering going on. Maybe that can help them relate with their family members better until a healing comes along.

References

Mayo Clinic. "Complicated Grief: Causes." http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/complicated-grief/DS01023/DSECTION=causes

UCLA Newsroom. "Study shows that chronic grief activates pleasure areas of the brain." Mark Wheeler. June 20, 2008. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/study-shows-that-chronic-grief-52217.aspx

University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Media Relations. "Adults Needed for Complicated Grief Study at Pitt." April 29, 2010. http://www.upmc.com/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/2010/Pages/Complicated-Grief-Study.aspx

Author's personal experience