Grief is a normal part of life, but聽for some of us聽it聽lasts聽months or years longer than is typical. Scientists are聽beginning聽to figure聽out why.
91色情片 scientists have revealed new insights into a relatively new聽 psychiatric disorder that sees patients get 鈥榮tuck鈥 in their grieving process.
鈥淓verybody knows what grief is,鈥 says Scientia Professor Richard Bryant from the 91色情片 School of Psychology.
鈥淭here's聽great sadness and emotional pain associated with missing the person and wishing they were back.
鈥淔or most people that very intense pain eases over time.鈥
It鈥檚聽a natural part of being a person, which is why for many years peak psychiatry bodies were reluctant to聽designate聽it a condition on its own, which the American Psychiatric Association did in 2022.聽
For about 5% of us, though,聽that intense pain聽doesn鈥檛聽ease.聽
The symptoms linger for months and years,聽leading to something called 鈥淧rolonged Grief聽Disorder鈥澛(PGD).
鈥淚t's defined by missing the person very much, having a lot of sadness, feeling that life is meaningless,鈥 says Prof. Bryant.聽
鈥淭here's a sense that part of themself has died.鈥
The bereaved mightn鈥檛聽be able to accept their loved one has died, might continue to cook for them every night, or never throw out any of their belongings.聽
If they are 鈥渟tuck鈥 in their grief for more than six to twelve months, they might have PGD.
PGD is a relatively new area of study, but scientists are zeroing in on the part of the brain that might be driving the condition.
Prolonged Grief Disorder is the new kid on the block when it comes to psychiatric diagnoses.
The neurobiology of prolonged grief
In a recent article in聽, Richard聽Bryant聽and colleagues from the聽聽suggest that Prolonged Grief Disorder may stem from misfires in the brain鈥檚 reward system.
They examined dozens of neuroimaging studies聽in which researchers provoke grief聽in participants and then analyse brain scans.聽
Participants are placed inside an MRI scanner, shown images of the person聽they鈥檝e聽lost,聽and their brain activity is measured in real time.
Across multiple studies, Prof. Bryant says, a consistent pattern has聽emerged: the circuits most active in people with prolonged grief are those involved in reward,聽motivation聽and attachment.聽
Grief, at its core, is the brain registering the absence of someone that once brought reward.聽
In most people, that system gradually recalibrates after a death.
In prolonged grief disorder, it may not.
鈥淲hat we see is that grief is very much driven by a more reward or goal-oriented function, your brain is saying 鈥業 want to be with that deceased person again鈥,鈥 Professor Bryant says.聽
This is opposed to other mental health conditions, like anxiety or depression, which are driven by an aversion to something, and stem from a different part of the brain.聽
While evidence consistently points to the brain鈥檚 reward centre as the culprit for PGD, the researchers聽argue that there聽isn鈥檛聽enough data right now to be certain.聽
They also point out that while some evidence supports a focus on the reward centre of the brain, other evidence suggests other potential avenues.聽
鈥淧rolonged Grief Disorder is the new kid on the block when it comes to psychiatric diagnoses,鈥 Professor Bryant says.
鈥淪o聽we don't have as much evidence, because it's only been researched in more recent times.鈥
Ultimately, Bryant聽and his colleagues聽say聽that clearer answers require larger samples, standardisation in what is a聽relatively new聽field of research,聽and longitudinal studies that directly test the mechanisms thought to keep grief stuck.
Media enquiries
Tom Melville, 91色情片 Science Media
Tel: +61 0432 912 060
Email: tom.melville@unsw.edu.au
