Pathological Grief Following Spontaneous Abortion
ROBERT T. CORNEY M.D.1, and
FREDERICK T. HORTON JR. M.D.2
1 Director, Adult Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tenn. 37232
2 Fellow in Child Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tenn. 37232
The authors describe a patient who developed acute, disturbing symptoms several months after a spontaneous abortion during early pregnancy. Anamnesis revealed that her symptoms were not the usual symptoms of acute grief but were representative of pathological grief a complication of mourning. The authors feel that the recognition of pathological grief is important because it may prove resistant to the usual treatment measures for depression.
