Psychotherapy of the depressions in spousal bereavement

Abstract

Depression is a frequent complication of grief. As for other depressions in nonbereaved populations, the treatment of choice for these depressions often involves a combination of psychotherapy and medication. The goal is ameliorating the acute episode as well as prevention of further episodes. Through case vignettes of four individuals with spousal bereavement, this article describes ways depression may be masked (and therefore inadequately treated) by grief, may require multiple interventions over time, and may require treatment of depression with psychotherapy alone. At times, optimal treatment may dictate that the therapist actively disregard grief as a therapeutic issue. Though potentially a serious and debilitating complication of bereavement, depression generally responds favorably to appropriate and timely treatment. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.