Year: 2004 Source: American Journal of Psychiatry, v.161, no.8, (August 2004), p.1411-1416 SIEC No: 20060145

This study described the symptoms & course of traumatic grief among adolescents exposed to a peer’s suicide & examined the relationship between traumatic grief & depression & posttraumatic stress disorder in this population. A total of 146 friends & acquaintances of 26 suicide victims were studied. The occurrence of traumatic grief was found to be independent from that of depression & posttraumatic stress disorder. Traumatic grief at 6 months predicted the onset or course of depression & posttraumatic stress disorder at subsequent assessments. (33 refs.)