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    Prolonged grief disorder

    延长哀伤障碍

    Clinical diagnosis
    Also called
    PGD, complicated grief, pathological grief, persistent complex bereavement disorder

    What is prolonged grief disorder?

    Prolonged grief disorder can follow the death of someone close: intense longing for, or preoccupation with, the person persists far beyond what the bereaved person’s culture expects, with intense emotional pain and clear impairment.[1][2] ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR, published in 2022, both include it.[1][2]

    Schematic curves, not measured data

    Select a part of the figure for details.
    Schematic. The horizontal axis counts months since the death; two vertical lines mark the time thresholds of ICD-11 (6 months) and DSM-5-TR (12 months for adults). The two curves only contrast the common course with grief that stays high; they are not measured data. At right is a meta-analytic prevalence estimate. Select a part for details. Select a part for details
    Schematic. The horizontal axis counts months since the death; two vertical lines mark the time thresholds of ICD-11 (6 months) and DSM-5-TR (12 months for adults). The two curves only contrast the common course with grief that stays high; they are not measured data. At right is a meta-analytic prevalence estimate. Select a part for details. Save as image (PNG)

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    Key points

    • DSM-5-TR: at least 12 months after the death (6 for children and adolescents), intense yearning or preoccupation nearly every day for the past month, plus 3 of 8 further symptoms.[1]
    • ICD-11 (code 6B42) sets a minimum of 6 months, and grief that stays within the normal span for the person’s culture and religion is not diagnosed.[2]
    • It overlaps with depression and PTSD, but its symptoms center on the person who died, with yearning and sadness, rather than fear, in the foreground.[2][3]
    • A meta-analysis put it at about 9.8% of adults bereaved by non-violent deaths.[4] Risk is higher after sudden or unnatural deaths and with little social support.[1]

    An example

    Ms. Wang’s father died in hospital during the pandemic, and she could not say goodbye. For months she sleeps badly and cries whenever she thinks of him. This is common early in bereavement and is not prolonged grief disorder: DSM-5-TR requires at least 12 months and grief that clearly disrupts daily life.[1]

    Misreadings and limits

    Normal grief is not a disorder. For most people intense grief eases with time, and strong emotions early in bereavement should not be treated as pathology.[3] Telling prolonged grief disorder from normal grief takes a professional weighing duration, severity and cultural norms, not a symptom checklist.[1][2]

    If you need help now

    If you’re struggling to cope or having thoughts of harming yourself:

    If you’re in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.

    Psyfield is not a crisis service. Numbers checked October 2026.

    Sources

    1. 1 American Psychiatric Association (2025). Prolonged grief disorder. Psychiatry.org (physician review August 2025). View source
    2. 2 World Health Organization (2025). 6B42 Prolonged grief disorder. ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics (2025-01 release). View source
    3. 3 Szuhany, K. L., Malgaroli, M., Miron, C. D., & Simon, N. M. (2021). Prolonged grief disorder: Course, diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. Focus, 19(2), 161–172. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20200052
    4. 4 Lundorff, M., Holmgren, H., Zachariae, R., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O’Connor, M. (2017). Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 212, 138–149. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.030

    Last checked against sources: October 27, 2026