

The burden of loss: Unexpected death of a loved one and psychiatric disorders across the life course in a national study.

Post-bereavement hallucinatory experiences: A critical overview of population and clinical studies. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). In a 2009 review on grief and bereavement, experts noted hallucinations during acute grief provided study participants with a sense of connection to the loved one, as did keeping mementos like clothing, pictures, or favorite possessions. Research suggests sensory experiences during mourning, particularly sensing the presence of a lost loved one, might come from a subconscious effort to maintain a connection to that person. While they might sometimes fit the hallucination diagnostic criteria, grief hallucinations may not necessarily be a lapse in reality. But, most people don’t experience an episode of psychosis when grieving, she adds. It’s possible some people may experience hallucinations when facing the loss of a loved one, explains Barbara Rubel, a board certified expert in traumatic stress from Kendall Park, New Jersey. Psychosis is a mental state that occurs when your brain isn’t able to distinguish between what’s real in your environment and what isn’t. In some cases, these conditions can appear with symptoms of psychosis, including hallucinations. However, 2014 research suggests that the unexpected death of a loved one may lead to experiencing mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder. There is no compelling evidence that grief causes psychosis. You may be experiencing this long lasting grief if your pain doesn’t ease with time, escalates, or makes daily functioning a challenge.
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Prolonged grief disorder, once known as complicated grief, is a condition listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). The same research suggests that prolonged grief disorder could be related to the brain having difficulty processing the loss. Grief hallucinations may be the result of your brain trying to cope. In other words, creating opportunities to feel like a part of your loved one is still with you might help you deal with intense emotional pain. The brain may process the emotions related to grieving as a learning experience that helps reduce separation distress. Facing a loss may affect your mental and emotional health differently, although in most cases, the pain tends to decrease with time.Īccording to research on the neuroscience behind grief and loss, grieving can be a form of emotional learning. Research is inconclusive about what exactly causes someone to experience hallucinations of a loved one who has passed away.
