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Recent Parent Death and Mental Illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

John Birtchnell
John Birtchnell*
Affiliation:
M.R.C. Clinical Psychiatry Research Unit, Graylingwell Hospital, Chichester, Sussex; formerly at Crichion Royal Hospital, Dumfries
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Extract

Reaction to the death of a closely related person is characterized by a period of shocked disbelief, a period of acceptance and suffering, during which time the libidinal attachment to the internalized object is gradually withdrawn, and a prolonged period of readjustment. The first two phases usually last a number of months and correspond to the state of acute grief described by Lindemann (1944), Wretmark (1959) and Parkes (1965). The third phase involves the adjustment to a life without the lost person and in some individuals may persist for a number of years.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 116 , Issue 532 , March 1970 , pp. 289 - 297
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1970 

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References

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