Bereavement counsellors include general practitioners, health visitors, social workers, priests, and lay people with a special training. The bereavement counsellor must be aware of the signs of abnormal grief eg delayed, inhibited or prolonged grief.
All forms of psychological therapy have a role in the management of abnormal grief. The aim is to overcome defences which block the normal processes of mourning, and to reinforce the latter as they emerge.
Physical treatment may be required when clearly defined conditions such as paranoia, psychotic depression, or mania are precipitated by bereavement.
Phobic anxiety states, hypochondriasis, and psychosomatic illnesses require treatment in their own right, but usual measures may be unsuccessful unless the bereavement factor which precipitated or exacerbated the problem is given due weight.
The bereaved alcoholic poses special difficulties - liable to make many demands on the caring services but unable to progress through the grief until the drinking is under control. Patients of this kind need an experienced therapist who can combine and understanding and supportive capacity to set limits and avoid over-involvement.
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