Question
My husband unexpectedly passed away 2 years ago. Recently I was told by a medical professional who prescribes my grief meds that I have passed over from grief to 'pathological grief'. I have lots of thoughts on what that means but I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Answer
I have no idea what crossing over into pathological grief means. I also don't know you well enough to second guess someone who does.
If you have any concerns about the person treating you, I would encourage you to get a second opinion. I would definitely get your meds evaluated by someone else. Meds are often helpful but they can also get in way of the grieving process.
This is what I will share, 2 years is not a particularly long time to grieve a husband who died unexpectedly. The more grief is studied, the more it's acknowledged that grief lasts much longer than we previously thought.
There are things that can make grief more complicated or prolonged (not pathological). I don't know if any of these apply, but they might be worth considering.
- a previous diagnosis of depression, bipolar disorder or other other mental illness.
- the relationship you had with the person who died was difficult, there were unresolved issues, or you had a fight.
- unexpected or violent deaths are often more difficult
- there were previous losses and the grief over those has been reactivated by the current loss
- there were multiple deaths very close together
Just some things to think about, and as I said before, 2 years really isn't that long to grieve an unexpected loss.
Hope that helps,
Susan
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