Table 1.

Similarities and Differences Between Complicated Grief and DSM-IV Disorders

Similarities Between Complicated Grief and DSM-IV Disorders
Major Depression	Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Sadness, loss of interest Loss of self-esteem Guilt	Triggered by traumatic event Sense of shock, helplessness Intrusive images Avoidance behavior
Differences Between Complicated Grief and DSM-IV Disorders
Major Depression	Complicated Grief
Pervasive sad mood	Sadness related to missing the deceased
Loss of interest or pleasure	Interest in memories of the deceased maintained; longing and yearning for contact; pleasurable reveries
Pervasive sense of guilt	Guilt focused on interactions with the deceased
Rumination about past failures or misdeeds	Preoccupation with positive thoughts of the deceased
	Intrusive images of the person dying
	Avoidance of situations and people related to reminders of the loss
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder	Complicated Grief
Triggered by physical threat	Triggered by loss
Primary emotion is fear	Primary emotion is sadness
Nightmares are very common	Nightmares are rare
Painful reminders linked to the traumatic event; usually specific to the event	Painful reminders more pervasive and unexpected
	Yearning and longing for the person who died Pleasurable reveries

Abbreviation: DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition.