Signs & Symptoms of Bereavement

A person can experience bereavement after a major loss. Often, this occurs after a loved one's death, the end of an important relationship, with the onset of a terminal illness or a condition that significantly affects the person's quality of life. Certain signs and symptoms can indicate a person is bereaved. These may manifest themselves in mental, physical, emotional and behavioral ways.

Mental Symptoms

• Bereaved people may experience changes in their mental states. For example, they may experience confusion, affecting their memory, concentration, judgment and comprehension. They may experience feelings of detachment, unreality and disorientation. They may be distracted by unwanted thoughts, hallucinations and nightmares, which can take the form of thoughts about suicide and an obsession with dying.

Emotional Symptoms

• Bereavement can affect grieving people's emotional state. It can cause the grieving person to feel shocked. Other responses may be feelings of fear, anxiety and apprehension. It may also be accompanied by feelings of anger, irritability, agitation and guilt. Bereaved people may also experience feelings of worthlessness, numbness and remoteness from everyday life.

Physical Symptoms

• Bereavement may make itself evident through a variety of physical symptoms. For example, grieving people may experience fatigue and exhaustion, alternating with periods of high alertness and energy. Their vision and hearing may be temporarily impaired. As well, they may experience sweating, chills, nausea, dizziness and difficulty breathing. Bereavement could also manifest itself physically through symptoms such as muscle tremors and increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Changes in Habits

• Bereavement can cause people to change their habits and the way they act. Grieving people can become preoccupied with their grief, withdraw from their social lives and avoid normal activities. This may go as far as complete inactivity and inability to function. Bereavement can also affect one's eating habits, causing either increased or decreased appetite. Grieving people may also have trouble sleeping.