Margaret Stroebe, Ph.D., of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and colleagues, reviewed "available literature on grief and bereavement, focusing on papers published after 1997." Their analysis found that widowers have "a higher risk of dying after a loss than widows." Suicide risk increases "66-fold...in the first week of bereavement for widowers, and 9.6-fold for widows." The bereaved could also suffer from "depression, anxiety, insomnia, and social dysfunction." Indeed, in "extreme cases, losing a loved one can result in clinical depression, or even post-traumatic stress disorder."

According to WebMD (12/8, Hitti), a "higher death rate among the bereaved is 'attributable in large part to a so-called broken heart,'" the researchers wrote. The newly bereaved also face a higher risk for alcohol- and heart disease-related deaths. Furthermore, "Nonfatal illnesses also rise during bereavement, the review shows." And, while bereavement is "a harrowing experience for most people, one that causes considerable upset and disruption of everyday life," the researchers observed that "grief is normal." Nevertheless, professional counseling may be called for in cases of complicated grief, that is, "an unusually long and/or intense grieving period." Still, "many people may get through bereavement without" counseling. The support of family and friends "makes a difference," the study noted.

For some widowers, the BBC (12/8) reported, "the increased death risk will probably be linked with...the loss of their sole confidante, who would have overseen her husband's health status, the researchers told The Lancet." For widows, "intense loneliness and the psychological distress caused by the loss could play a large part" in an increased risk for death. For bereaved persons of both genders, the "risk appears to be highest in the early weeks following bereavement, and decreased with time." In addition, a "Danish study from 2003 showed fathers and mothers have a raised suicide risk after the death of a child, a risk which is higher the younger the child, and is particularly high in the first 30 days post-bereavement."

Related Links:

- ABSTRACT "Health outcomes of bereavement," The Lancet, December 8, 2007.
- "Bereavement Raises Health Risks," WebMD, December 8, 2007.
- "Proof broken hearts can be fatal," BBC News - Health, December 7, 2007.