What Are the Most Common Types of Grief?

Everyone mourns differently after a loss and a cremation service in King George, VA. However, there are certain types of grief that are common throughout the world. Professionals identify types of grief to give people a better understanding of their feelings and actions so they can better heal and move forward.

Here are some of the most common types of grief:

1. Complicated – Complicated grief is best characterized by grief that worsens over time. While it might start out simple, it deepens as the months pass into a disabling and sometimes life-changing feeling.
2. Traumatic – This type of grief is common after the sudden loss of a loved one as this type of unexpected death can be considered traumatic for most people.
3. Chronic – As the name denotes, chronic grief is long-lasting. While most people mourn for years after a loss, those with chronic grief have debilitating symptoms for long periods of time.
4. Anticipatory – Anticipatory grief is what you feel when you know a loved one is going to die but they haven’t passed yet, such as when they’re suffering from a terminal illness.
5. Disenfranchised – This type of grief comes when you lose a relationship that’s considered outside the normal family structure or outside the normal definition of recognized relationships. Sometimes called hidden grief, disenfranchised grief is common after an abortion, the loss of a pet, or even the death of a casual friend.
6. Exaggerated – For many, exaggerated grief starts normal but grows in intensity as time passes, often leading to anger, self-harm, and other destructive feelings or actions.
7. Absent – Absent grief is when you show few or even no signs of grief. Sometimes used as a defense mechanism, absent grief is easy to write off. But it’s important to remember that there’s no way to tell from the outside how someone is truly feeling.
8. Abbreviated –Most common after the loss of someone that you weren’t particularly close with, abbreviated grief is when the grief is short but real.
9. Delayed – Delayed grief, like the name denotes, is when grief is postponed for a period of time because you haven’t accepted the loss, you feel like you can’t feel the loss or another reason for putting off your feelings.
10. Inhibited – This type of grief is feelings of loss that manifest as physical ailments like muscle aches, headaches, stomach pain, or other issues.
11. Distorted – Distorted grief is characterized by feelings of anger and guilt instead of common feelings of loss and sadness. For example, a parent who feels angry after the loss of a child.
12. Collective – Collective grief is a loss felt by a large group of people, such as when a celebrity dies or there’s a tragedy like 9-11 or the COVID-19 pandemic.
13. Cumulative – Cumulative grief is when a new loss brings back feelings of grief from a previous loss, such as another death, a move, or even the loss of a job, and those feelings compound one another.

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