Subjective distress associated with sudden loss in clients with severe mental illness

Data from interviews with 276 community mental health clients diagnosed with a severe mental illness were used to examine the association between clients' subjective distress from sudden loss of a close friend or loved one and PTSD symptoms. Over three-quarters of these clients reported sudden losses in their lives, and regression analysis showed that distress related to sudden losses accounted for significant and unique variance in PTSD symptoms when all other sources of traumatic distress were controlled. Practitioners should routinely assess interpersonal losses among clients with SMI and offer brief interventions specifically aimed at helping clients cope with such losses.