Grief in adults with mental retardation: preliminary findings

Structured direct interviews of 43 adults with mental retardation were conducted to evaluate how they express grief and deal with loss. In addition, 100 providers, social workers, and clergy were surveyed to assess their views of how adults with mental retardation cope and respond during a grief situation. Adults with moderate to severe mental retardation display grief responses similar to all adults: a mixture of sadness, anger, anxiety, confusion, and pain. Individuals continue to experience emotional turmoil 1 year beyond the initial death and personal loss. Caregivers and professionals were mixed on how long a grief reaction continues before it can be viewed as dysfunctional. Intense behaviors, such as self-injury, were noted by respondents in 10-15% of grief reactions. Ability to "feel" or display emotional behavior during grief is not contingent only on a conceptual level. Common reactions include a depressive response (crying, fatigue, sleep disruption, loss of appetite) of moderate intensity. Adults with significant mental retardation verbalized an understanding of the irreversibility of death, and their responses reflect personal beliefs as well. An unknown group of these adults may have been exhibiting a depressive disorder.