Bereavement

Bereavement is an umbrella term that includes overall adaptation to death. It is the process associated with loss and grief, the state of having suffered a loss through death and responding to the loss, learning to live with the loss and dealing with the pain of death. This process does not have a time limit. It is influenced by different factors ranging from the relationship of the bereaved person to the deceased, the cause of the death, the age of the deceased, past experiences of the bereaved in handling crises and support systems.

Concern about complicated grieving should be when the intensity of the grief seems not to get any better over time and actually incapacitates the bereaved person from performing daily routines or affects general behaviour.