Year: 1964 Source: British Journal of Psychiatry, v.110, (1964), p.198-204 SIEC No: 19820432

This investigation examines the incidence of recent bereavement in the pre-illness histories of patients admitted to a psychiatric clinic & to determine whether & among what patients, this exceeds the incidence of bereavement which could have been expected to occur by chance. Results show that loss of a spouse is a causative factor in the development of mental illness. It was also found that women are more inclined than men to develop mental illnesses following bereavement. (17 Refs.)