Mood · Treatment guide
Grief & Bereavement
Acute and prolonged grief responses to loss; normal in nearly all cases, occasionally complicated.
In this guide
Overview
Most grief is non-pathological and does not require treatment. When grief becomes prolonged (>12 months, impairing), targeted therapies help. Differentiate from depression — overlap exists but the focus differs.
First-line treatments
- IPT — Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Grief is one of IPT's four explicit problem areas.
- CBT — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Complicated/prolonged grief therapy (Shear) integrates CBT with exposure to the loss.