Translated article: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Complicated Grief

<div>Acute grief, albeit often a painful experience, is a normal</div><div>reaction to the loss of a significant other; yet, most bereaved</div><div>persons recover from grief without professional</div><div>help. A minority of bereaved persons, however, experiences</div><div>persistent and disabling grief symptoms, also</div><div>termed complicated grief. Complicated grief as a distinct</div><div>diagnostic entity receives increasing attention, partly because</div><div>of its consideration in the revisions of the established</div><div>classification systems (‘International Statistical</div><div>Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems’</div><div>(ICD-11) and ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental</div><div>Disorders’ (DSM-5)). In the diagnostic process, both potential</div><div>overdiagnosis (pathologizing normal grief) and</div><div>misdiagnosis of complicated grief need to be considered.</div><div>Interventions aimed at all bereaved persons (universal</div><div>prevention) showed only minimal effectiveness.</div><div>Whether complicated grief can be prevented in high-risk</div><div>populations or in highly distressed acute mourners is</div><div>still being critically discussed. Recent randomized controlled</div><div>trials, however, demonstrated the efficacy of disorder-</div><div>specific interventions. A broad evidence base supports</div><div>both exposition to grief- or loss-associated stimuli</div><div>and cognitive restructuring of grief-specific dysfunctional</div><div>beliefs as parts of a cognitive-behavioral treatment.</div><div>Setting new goals for a life without the deceased is also</div><div>often incorporated in the treatment. Additionally, behavioral</div><div>activation demonstrated preliminary positive effects</div><div>for the treatment of complicated grief. Next to faceto-</div><div>face psychotherapy, internet-based treatment approaches</div><div>yielded promising results. However, further</div><div>research is needed concerning, e.g., the differential effectiveness</div><div>of specific treatment components.