Anxiety

You may be experiencing a grief reaction.

Grief is a painful, but unavoidable part of life. In most instances, the way to cope with it is by leaning on family and friends for emotional support and practical help, or turning to meaningful activities like spiritual practice or hobbies. Most often, grief looks like depression, but anxiety can be a big part of the picture.

When anxiety (or depressive) symptoms are severe, medication can help take the edge off or help you get some sleep. The pain of grief may never go away completely. But if symptoms last longer than six months, it may be worth seeing your primary care provider or a mental health professional to see if ongoing treatment for an anxiety disorder (psychotherapy and/or medication) makes sense.

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Online Medical Reviewer: Faculty of Harvard Medical School Date Last Reviewed: 10/16/2006 Date Last Modified: 10/11/2006 Source: from Harvard Health Decision Guides, Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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