Prolonged grief disorder

Prolonged grief disorder
Other names	Complicated grief, Persistent complex bereavement disorder
Specialty	Psychiatry, psychology
Symptoms	Prolonged grief, Depression, emotional pain, emotional numbness, loneliness, identity disturbance, difficulty in managing interpersonal relationships
Complications	suicide, self harm, relationship damage
Differential diagnosis	Borderline personality disorder, Complex post-traumatic stress disorder, Grief not otherwise specified, Major depressive disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD), also known as complicated grief (CG),^[1] traumatic grief (TG)^[2] and persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) in the DSM-5,^[3] is a mental disorder consisting of a distinct set of symptoms following the death of a family member or close friend (i.e. bereavement). People with PGD are preoccupied by grief and feelings of loss to the point of clinically significant distress and impairment, which can manifest in a variety of symptoms including depression, emotional pain, emotional numbness, loneliness, identity disturbance and difficulty in managing interpersonal relationships. Difficulty accepting the loss is also common, which can present as rumination about the death, a strong desire for reunion with the departed, or disbelief that the death occurred. PGD is estimated to be experienced by about 10 percent of bereaved survivors, although rates vary substantially depending on populations sampled and definitions used.^[4]

In March 2022, PGD was added as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) with diagnostic code F43.8. PGD is also in the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) under code 6B42. To meet diagnosis, symptoms must occur frequently (usually at least daily) and be present for at least 6–12 months.