Bereavement support
Bereavement is the experience of losing someone important to us and grief is the process and range of emotions felt as someone comes to terms with the death of a loved one.
Bereavement, grief and loss can cause many different symptoms and affects people in different ways.
Experts generally accept that we go through 5 stages of bereavement or grief:
- Denial – feelings of shock, disbelief, panic or confusion
- Anger – feelings and behaviours such as blaming yourself or blaming others
- Depression – feeling tired, hopeless or helpless – like you have lost perspective or feel isolated
- Bargaining – feelings of guilt often raise questions like "If only I had done more"
- Acceptance – this does not mean that you like the situation, it’s about accepting your loss and being ready to move forward
Although these are accepted as the most common stages of grief, everyone experiences grief differently.
Support is available if you're finding it hard to cope with the death of a loved one.
Royal College of Psychiatrists: Information on bereavement
Bereavement support NHS - search local services