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Grief's Unending Grip: A New Disorder Revealed
18 Feb
Summary
- Prolonged Grief Disorder affects 10% of bereaved individuals after six months.
- PGD involves intense sadness, guilt, and difficulty accepting loss.
- Brain scans show PGD shares patterns with depression and anxiety.
An estimated 10 percent of individuals experiencing loss develop Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), a psychiatric condition where intense feelings of sadness and guilt persist for more than six months. This disorder, formally classified by the World Health Organisation in 2018, involves significant distress and an elevated focus on the deceased.
Research published in Trends in Neurosciences suggests PGD's neurobiology aligns with patterns seen in depression and anxiety. Scientists observed heightened activity in brain systems associated with reward and attachment, potentially indicating a deep psychological craving for the lost individual, hindering recovery.
Functional MRI scans reveal changes in brain circuits related to desire and motivation in individuals with PGD. These include the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex, as well as areas involved in emotion processing like the amygdala and insula.
Lead author Richard Bryant emphasizes that PGD is not a different type of grief but rather a state of being 'stuck.' He highlights the need to raise awareness and recognize PGD as a distinct disorder to facilitate access to available treatments for those suffering from persistent bereavement.
