‘Prolonged Grief Disorder’ Is Now an Official Mental Health Condition—These Are the Symptoms to Know

An extended grieving period may now be classified as a mental health condition, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The new diagnosis—prolonged grief disorder—provides a new framework for treating patients affected by loss, and allows providers to bill insurance companies for treatment services. The March addition to the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) comes after years of debate as to whether grief should be classified as a mental illness. According to a press release by the APA, recent events have shown the necessity to distinguish and treat “incapacitating feelings of grief.”…

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