In psychiatry, complicated grief disorder (CGD) is a proposed disorder for those who are significantly and functionally impaired by prolonged grief symptoms for at least 1 month after 6 months of bereavement.
It is distinguished from non-impairing grief and other disorders (such as major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder).
This disorder has been reviewed by the DSM-5 work groups, who have decided that it be called Persistent complex bereavement disorder.

Complicated grief is considered when an individual’s ability to resume normal activities and responsibilities is continually disrupted beyond 6 months of bereavement. Six months is considered to be the appropriate point of CGD consideration, since studies show that most people are able to integrate bereavement into their lives by this time.

The symptoms of complicated grief include maladaptive thoughts and behaviors related to the death or the deceased, continuous emotional dysregulation about the death, social isolation, and suicidal ideation.

See reference for more information.

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet. Accessed on June 14, 2016.