A to Z Health Guide 2007

As many of us know from experience, grief over the death of a loved one tends to encompass several emotions — often classified as disbelief, yearning, anger, depression and acceptance. A study in JAMA clarifies the progression of grief, noting that yearning — a consuming longing for a lost one's return — not depression, may be the dominant negative response to a natural death and that it peaks four months after the loss. But acceptance eventually trumps the other states, allowing for some closure to grief.