Grief reactions and depression in family practice: differential diagnosis and treatment

To make a differential diagnosis between depression, normal grieving, and pathological grief reactions is a common problem for family physicians. Patients often present to the family physician with physical symptoms, such as pain, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and disturbances of digestion and sleep, rather than psychological symptoms. Treatment modalities and effectiveness differ depending on specific diagnosis. The family physician is in a unique position to influence prevention, early detection, and morbidity of these disorders.