Work

Mourner’s Little Helper: The Use of Psychotropics in the Treatment of Grief-Related Distress From Opium to Opioid Antagonists

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The value of diagnosing the pathologically bereaved, as affected by a distinct disorder from depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder, has long been debated by clinicians and scholars alike. Disputes continue over whether a specific diagnosis would help those struggling after loss, even after prolonged grief disorder gained official status in 2022 as a condition recognized and defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This paper examines how different medical conceptualizations of grief have helped shape the development and use of pharmaceutical interventions to treat the bereaved over the past century. Using a Foucauldian-inspired approach and a biopolitics framework, this paper traces the multifaceted history of grief as a condition that can be targeted and treated through medication and medical interventions.

Source: OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying

DOI: 10.1177/00302228261444156

Authors: Larissa Costa Duarte, Fiona Webster, Eunice Gorman

Institution: Western University

Language: English

Topic: Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650