Prolonged Grief Disorder Treatment in Lahore
Assessment and specialised therapy for Prolonged Grief Disorder, where intense grief persists well beyond expected cultural and social norms after a loss.
While grief is a natural and necessary response to loss, some individuals experience Prolonged Grief Disorder, in which intense grief remains disabling well beyond what is culturally expected, interfering with the ability to engage in daily life.
Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Zafar offers compassionate, specialised assessment and treatment for prolonged grief, respecting the significance of loss while helping patients move toward renewed engagement with life.
How Prolonged Grief Differs From Normal Grieving
Grief is expected to evolve over time, even if it never fully disappears. Prolonged Grief Disorder involves grief that remains as intense and disabling as in the early period of loss, persisting beyond twelve months in adults (six months in children), well beyond expected social and cultural norms.
Core Features
- Persistent, intense yearning for the person who died
- Preoccupation with thoughts of the deceased or circumstances of the death
- Difficulty accepting the death occurred
- Feeling that life is meaningless without the deceased
- Avoidance of reminders of the loss
- Difficulty engaging in relationships or activities
Treatment
Specialised grief-focused psychotherapy, including structured approaches such as Complicated Grief Treatment, helps patients process the loss, work through avoidance, and gradually rebuild a meaningful connection to life.
Where co-existing depression is present, this is treated alongside the grief-focused work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal to still grieve years after a loss?
Grief can persist in some form for years, but Prolonged Grief Disorder specifically refers to grief that remains as intensely disabling as in the early period, significantly interfering with daily life well beyond expected timeframes.
Does treatment mean forgetting the person who died?
No. Treatment aims to help integrate the loss into a meaningful ongoing life, not to erase the memory or importance of the relationship.
Is medication used for grief?
Medication is not first-line for grief itself but may help if significant co-existing depression develops.
Expert Care
Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Zafar provides compassionate, specialised support for prolonged and complicated grief, honouring the significance of loss while supporting genuine healing.
This page is provided for general educational purposes and does not replace an individual psychiatric assessment.
Common signs & symptoms
- Intense yearning or longing for the deceased
- Preoccupation with thoughts or memories of the deceased
- Difficulty accepting the death
- Emotional numbness or intense emotional pain
- Difficulty engaging in life or future planning
- Symptoms persisting beyond twelve months after the loss (in adults)
- Significant impairment in daily functioning
Treatment approach
- → Grief-focused psychotherapy
- → Complicated Grief Treatment (structured, evidence-based therapy)
- → Treatment of co-existing depression
- → Support in processing the loss and rebuilding a sense of future
- → Family or group support where appropriate
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to still grieve years after a loss?
Grief can persist in some form for years, but Prolonged Grief Disorder specifically refers to grief that remains as intensely disabling as in the early period, significantly interfering with daily life well beyond expected timeframes.
Does treatment mean forgetting the person who died?
No. Treatment aims to help integrate the loss into a meaningful ongoing life, not to erase the memory or importance of the relationship.
Is medication used for grief?
Medication is not first-line for grief itself but may help if significant co-existing depression develops.