Monday, September 1, 2008

Grief

A few years ago a good friend shared some valuable information with me about grief. She said that there are 4 stages of grief. Known as "DABD". They are: 1. Denial and Isolation. 2. Anger. 3. Bargaining. 4. Depression.

It is important to know these. It is important to go through them. It is not necessary to go through them in any particular order. The time spent in any stage may vary. Also, it is normal to go back through the stages, but a person may not.

It is NOT normal to stay in any stage for long. If anyone stays in grief stages longer than six months then there is a problem and counseling should be sought.

It is important for those who are close to be aware of the stages and be sensitive to the person. They need room, but they need to be supported and loved.- Do not take it personally, but understand this is just something temporary and the person will be back to "normal" soon.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I learned about these steps when my dad died. Knowing these helped me help my Mom. Thanks for the reminder.

mandy said...

I experienced a loss a few months ago, and I definitely watched myself go through the stages - in no particular order.

I'd taken a few counseling/grief classes, so I knew I wasn't losing my mind... But, still, it was hard.