Understanding PTSD and Grief in 2025: Symptoms, Connection, and Treatment Options

Experiencing grief alongside post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common occurrence following traumatic events. Grief represents a natural emotional reaction to loss, encompassing a wide range of feelings such as sadness, anger, confusion, shock, and disbelief.

PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by traumatic experiences, characterized by symptoms like flashbacks, avoidance of trauma-related triggers, and heightened anxiety.

Often, grief arises from traumatic circumstances, leading many individuals to face PTSD symptoms during their grieving journey.

Does Grief Transform into PTSD?

While grief and PTSD are distinct experiences, they frequently overlap. Grieving itself does not directly evolve into PTSD; however, grief can intensify PTSD symptoms, and PTSD may prolong the grieving process.

Margaret Pendergrass, a licensed clinical social worker and certified grief counselor from Roswell, Georgia, explains, "Grief and PTSD often stem from the same traumatic loss and can happen simultaneously rather than one turning into the other."

PTSD symptoms might not be immediately apparent after a loss. As individuals process feelings of fear, helplessness, or danger related to the trauma, PTSD symptoms can develop, sometimes making it seem as if grief has shifted into PTSD.

Can Losing a Loved One Cause PTSD?

When a loved one’s death results from violent, accidental, or sudden causes such as natural disasters or suicide, it can lead to traumatic bereavement. This condition involves intense grief accompanied by PTSD-like symptoms or concurrent PTSD.

Becca Reed, a trauma therapist based in Yarmouth, Maine, highlights that unexpected losses pose unique challenges, combining trauma and grief simultaneously. "Such shocking losses can create significant barriers in the grieving process, causing emotions to become bottled up and potentially triggering PTSD symptoms like flashbacks and anxiety," she notes.

Distinguishing PTSD from Typical Grieving

Grief is a natural, temporary emotional response to loss, involving feelings such as sadness and anger that generally improve over time, though the duration varies per individual.

In contrast, PTSD is a mental health disorder marked by intense fear-related emotions and often requires professional treatment to manage.

Grief-Related PTSD vs. Complicated Grief

Grief-related PTSD is PTSD linked specifically to traumatic loss, whereas complicated grief—also known as prolonged grief disorder—is characterized by an extended, unresolved grieving process that impairs daily functioning.

According to Pendergrass, trauma increases the risk of complicated grief but is not its sole cause. Other factors can contribute to complicated grief.

The DSM-5-TR defines prolonged grief disorder as grief that persists beyond expected timeframes, worsens, or significantly disrupts everyday life.

A 2021 study found that prolonged grief disorder and grief-related PTSD lead to different patterns in memory and coping mechanisms following the death of a close person.

Recognizing Signs of Co-occurring PTSD and Grief

Identifying whether symptoms stem from grief, PTSD, or both can be challenging. Both conditions may cause anger, guilt, fear, avoidance of reminders, flashbacks, and nightmares.

Reed outlines common PTSD symptoms combined with grief, including:

• Re-experiencing the traumatic loss vividly
• Heightened alertness or feeling on edge
• Avoidance of people, places, or objects linked to the loss
• Emotional detachment
• Overwhelming guilt or shame
• Withdrawal from daily activities

If severe symptoms persist or worsen months after a loss, unresolved trauma may require targeted PTSD treatment.

Effective Treatments for Traumatic Bereavement PTSD

Treatment typically involves therapeutic approaches addressing both grief and PTSD symptoms. Mental health professionals often utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques tailored to individual needs.

Common CBT-based treatments for PTSD include prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy, trauma-focused CBT, and group therapy.

While grief may not always require formal treatment, therapy can support emotional processing and healing.

For prolonged grief disorder stemming from traumatic bereavement, treatment may also incorporate grief-focused CBT, complicated grief therapy, exposure therapy, cognitive restructuring, and group sessions.

Recent 2023 research emphasizes that cognitive behavioral methods help maintain meaningful connections with lost loved ones, supporting healing without forcing a perception of loss as an absolute end.

Conclusion

The relationship between grief and PTSD is complex. Although grief does not directly cause PTSD, traumatic losses can lead to both conditions occurring together, with PTSD increasing the likelihood of complicated grief.

Distinguishing between normal grief, PTSD, and complicated grief can be difficult. Consulting a mental health professional can provide guidance and effective treatment to navigate these challenging emotions.

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