Prolonged grief disorder, or PGD, is now a diagnosable medical condition. Is this a win for grieving people who are yearning to be taken seriously by healthcare providers and employers? Or, is it a way to pathologize—even profit from—a normal human experience?
Dr. Katie Kostohryz, a licensed professional counselor and an associate teaching professor in Counselor Education & Rehabilitation at Penn State, talks with @wpsu’s Lindsey Whissel Fenton about the diagnosis and its criteria.
“The APA talks about this is a form of grief that is persistent pervasive and interferes with functioning. So, it’s basically looking at functional impairment that exceeds their cultural, social, religious norms. It doesn’t mean that people feeling grief should be over their grief in a year.”
Dr. Kostohryz discusses the pros and cons of this diagnosis as well as what it means for grieving people. She acknowledges this can add a layer of confusion to the already difficult experience of grieving.
“Grief is universal, but it’s very unique in our response. There’s many [people who wonder] ‘Am I doing grief wrong? How long is too long? Is there something wrong with me?’”
Dr. Kostohryz says the addition of PGD to the DSM-5 does open some doors that could have positive implications.
“I think one of the benefits is that now we can do more research… we have the language, we have the criteria, we can figure out what are best practices to support people.”
Dr. Kostohryz wants grieving people to know, “It’s okay to feel these things and it’s okay to ask for help.”
Listen to the full interview: https://radio.wpsu.org/2022-07-29/take-note-katie-kostohryz-on-prolonged-grief-disorder
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