Hi @CherryBomb
I came into this website through Compassionate Friends - I was a member there many years ago - and a volunteer for a short time - after the death of my 16 year old son in 1986 - nearly 30 years ago
They have stacks of information on grief - I must have borrowed nearly every book they had in their library at the time - and by now they probably have a lot of info on-line about the stages of grief
In fact in front of me right now there is information on their website - including Education and Resources
I am not at all susre how to define mental illness - I know I have PTSD - and a lot of family stress causing anxiety - but I saw a flier somewhere listing the symptoms of depression and I don't qualify
But I am sure that the passing of a child or a sibling - esp when there is little family support available - or any relative with whom we have an a complex and difficult past - then the grief is far harder to deal with - and maybe does aggravate, if not cause, depression
One thing I do know is that there are occasions when people are so distraught after a loss that their grief is so complicated it can be confused with Bi-Polar disorder. This is because a person will appear to be managing well with their grief only to be swamped with it
In my case - my son's behaviour was caused by his being badly wired - and he got worse as he got older - I never got a definitive dx but there were many conditions suggested
Imo - bereavement is a painful and complex issue that will cause all sorts of emotional turmoil - and maybe it depends on the nature we were born with or the nurture or lack of it that we received and people need as much support with this as any other MI
Decadian
