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UNDERSTANDING DEATH: WHAT IS \"NORMAL\" GRIEF?
This is a difficult question to answer. Grief responses vary widely from person to person. Despite these differences, a classic acute grief syndrome often occurs when a person acknowledges a loss. This common grief reaction can include the following symptoms:
- Periodic waves of physical distress lasting from 20 minutes to an hour
- A feeling of tightness in the throat
- Choking and shortness of breath
- A frequent need to sigh
- A feeling of emptiness in the abdomen
- A feeling of muscular weakness
- An intense feeling of anxiety that is described as actually painful
Other common symptoms of grief include insomnia, memory lapse, loss of appetite, difficulty in concentrating, a tendency to engage in repetitive or purposeless behavior, an \"observer\" sensation or feeling of unreality, difficulty in making decisions, lack of organization, excessive speech, social withdrawal or hostility, guilt feelings, and preoccupation with the image of the deceased. Susceptibility to disease increases with grief and may even be life threatening in severe and enduring cases.
A bereaved person may suffer emotional pain and may exhibit a variety of grief responses for many months after the death of a loved one. The rate of the healing process depends on the amount and quality of grief work that a person does. Grief work is the process of integrating the reality of the loss into everyday life and learning to feel better. Often, the bereaved person must deliberately and systematically work at reducing denial and coping with the pain that results from memories of the deceased. This process takes time and requires emotional effort.
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GENERAL HEALTH
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