[Abnormal grief reaction]

Pathological grief reactions following the death of a child are reported on the basis of five case studies. In contrast to acute grief reactions these pathological syndromes are of long standing. One parent had not truly accepted the death of the child. The denial of reality is sometimes a defence against aggression towards the deceased, because of his having left one behind. The mourning process comes to no end but remains in its initial phase. At the same time the life of the mourner stands still, as in the house and the family everything is left unchanged. Family interactions alter, particularly between the parents. For the genesis of these grief syndromes the following is of relevance: The death occurs at a time, when another child cannot replace the one who died. Mature independence had not been reached by either parent or child. Death destroyed expectations that this child would succeed in that which the parent had been unable to achieve. The parent had not seen the child after death--a gap in the continuity of experiencing which made acceptance of the irreversibility of the loss even more difficult.