Duelo perinatal, salud mental y la importancia del acompañamiento psicológico

Grief is a normal, emotional and psychological adaptive response to a significant loss. Particularly, mourning the death of a child is considered one of the most stressful and devastating situations that a human being can experience. Perinatal grief is defined as the reaction after the death of a baby during pregnancy and up to the first month of life. Not receiving specialized care to cope with perinatal grief has been associated with an increased risk of developing mental health disorders. In the last decade there has been a significant increase in national and international initiatives that promote the validation of perinatal grief and its support. The objective of this article is to provide a review of the evidence regarding perinatal grief and its impact on mental health, considering its definition and approach throughout history and current proposals for its support and elaboration. Despite the advances in making visible the psychological impact of perinatal grief, greater systematization of experiences at the national level in different health care centers, both public and private, is still required.