Table 2.

Diagnostic criteria for Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder in the DSM-5. Patients with PCBD should endorse at least one separation distress symptom and six additional symptoms. Superscripts show criteria that were present in patients AB and XY.

Separation distress	Reactive distress to death	Social/identity disruption
(i) Persistent yearning/longing for the deceasedAB,XY (ii) Intense sorrow and emotional pain in response to the deathAB,XY (iii) Preoccupation with the deceasedAB,XY (iv) Preoccupation with the circumstances of the deathAB,XY	(i) Marked difficulty accepting the deathAB,XY (ii) Experiencing disbelief or emotional numbness over the loss (iii) Difficulty with positive reminiscing about the deceasedAB,XY (iv) Bitterness or anger related to the lossAB,XY (v) Maladaptive appraisals about oneself in relation to the deceased or the death (e.g., self-blame)AB,XY (vi) Excessive avoidance of reminders of the lossAB	(i) A desire to die in order to be with the deceased (ii) Difficulty trusting other individuals since the deathAB,XY (iii) Feeling alone or detached from other individuals since the deathAB,XY (iv) Feeling that life is meaningless or empty without the deceased or the belief that one cannot function without the deceasedAB,XY (v) Confusion about one's role in life or a diminished sense of one's identity (e.g., feeling that a part of oneself died with the deceased)AB,XY (vi) Difficulty or reluctance to pursue interests since the loss or to plan for the futureAB,XY