The Effects of Bereavement and Grief on Physical Health and General Well-Being

This paper reviews and evaluates the evidence in support of the proposition that individuals experiencing loss are susceptible to medical illnesses, impairment of their general well-being & increase in mortality. There is a brief section about completed & attempted suicides. A few studies are highlighted, with statistics like: the suicide rate among widows is 2.5 times higher in the 1st 6 months after bereavement & 60% of attempters have had a disruption of a close relationship in the past year.