Complicated Grief

Following the death of a close person, a small number of bereaved develops a special form of grief: Complicated Grief. Distinct from established mental disorders, this condition is marked by prolonged and intense emotional distress, cognitive dysfunction, and/or functional impairment. Targeted psychotherapy is needed to alleviate the suffering of these mourners. An outpatient Integrative Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Complicated Grief (ICBT-CG) to treat adults was developed and evaluated at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit at in M unchen, Germany. 51 study participants with Complicated Grief and other mental disorders participated in this randomized controlled trial. Results were promising as they showed large effect sizes not only for Complicated Grief, but also for comorbid disorders and the overall burden of stress.