Why the bereavement exclusion was introduced in DSM-III

摘要

Bereavement is a universal human experience that most people endure with minimal morbidity. However, for some, losing a loved one can lead to the development of a psychiatric illness like chronic depression, the exacerbation of a substance use disorder or persistent complex bereavement disorder or to increased general medical morbidity or mortality. Thus, it is important to recognize the clinical features and time course of "normal" bereavement so that ordinary grief isn't pathologized and to facilitate recognition of these important complications.This article describes why the bereavement exclusion (BE) initially was introduced in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III), and carried over into DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, mdDSM-IV-TR, by examining data from a series of studies of the recently bereaved who were followed prospectively throughout the first year of their loss