What is the difference between normal and prolonged/complicated grief?
There are no research-based, widely supported criteria for distinguishing normal from prolonged or complicated grief. However, bereaved individuals typically struggle with moderate symptoms and have difficulty managing daily responsibilities. Most people who have experienced grief manage to struggle through and slowly, but gradually begin to return to their normal level of functioning. When someone is experiencing chronic grief, the symptoms are more intense, and daily life functioning is often more severely impaired for at least a year following a loss.
