Recent Parent Death and Mental Illness

Abstract

Reaction to the death of a closely related person is characterized by a period of shocked disbelief, a period of acceptance and suffering, during which time the libidinal attachment to the internalized object is gradually withdrawn, and a prolonged period of readjustment. The first two phases usually last a number of months and correspond to the state of acute grief described by Lindemann (1944), Wretmark (1959) and Parkes (1965). The third phase involves the adjustment to a life without the lost person and in some individuals may persist for a number of years.