Resilience Psychiatry Offers Evidence-Based Care for Prolonged Grief

Grief is one of the most universal human experiences, and for most people its sharpest edges soften over months and years. But for a meaningful share of bereaved adults, grief does not ease. It stays intense, preoccupying, and disabling in a way that interferes with the ability to work, connect with others, and move through daily life. Resilience Psychiatry, an outpatient psychiatry practice in East Setauket, New York, is raising awareness that this form of grief is now a formally recognized and treatable condition, and that people living with it do not have to navigate it alone.

In March 2022, the American Psychiatric Association added prolonged grief disorder to the DSM-5-TR, the reference manual clinicians use to identify mental health conditions. The recognition gave the field a shared, evidence-based definition for a pattern of grief that researchers had studied for decades. According to the American Psychiatric Association, an estimated 4 percent to 15 percent of bereaved adults experience the persistent symptoms of prolonged grief disorder.

How prolonged grief differs from ordinary grief

Ordinary grief and prolonged grief disorder are not the same thing, and the distinction matters. Typical grief tends to come in waves that gradually become less frequent and less overwhelming, even as the loss remains meaningful. Prolonged grief disorder, by contrast, is marked by grief that stays intense and persistent well beyond what social, cultural, or religious norms would anticipate, and that continues to disrupt everyday functioning.

Under the DSM-5-TR, the diagnosis is generally considered when the loss occurred at least a year earlier (six months for children and adolescents) and a person has experienced a defined set of symptoms nearly every day for at least the past month, in a way that causes significant distress or impairment. Those symptoms can include a persistent longing for the person who died, preoccupation with thoughts or memories of them, intense emotional pain, difficulty accepting the loss, emotional numbness, a sense that life is meaningless, and difficulty re-engaging with relationships or activities.

"Recognizing prolonged grief disorder is not about putting a clock on someone's grief or telling them they are grieving wrong," said Dr. Ricardo Cáceda, MD, PhD, board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Resilience Psychiatry. "It is about identifying when grief has become something that holds a person in place, when it stops being a passage and becomes somewhere they cannot leave. When we can name it, we can help."

Who is most at risk

Prolonged grief disorder can follow any significant loss, but the risk tends to be higher after a sudden, unexpected, or traumatic death, and after the loss of a child or a life partner. A person's existing mental health, the nature of the relationship, and the support available afterward all play a role. Because the symptoms can overlap with depression and post-traumatic stress, a careful clinical evaluation is important to understand what a person is actually experiencing.

"People often tell themselves they should be over it by now, and that self-judgment can deepen the isolation," said Dr. Cáceda. "A person who is living with prolonged grief is not weak and is not failing. They are experiencing a recognized condition that responds to evidence-based care. The most important message we can send is that it is worth speaking with a psychiatrist or therapist rather than waiting it out alone."

Care that meets people where they are

Resilience Psychiatry provides evaluation and evidence-based care for people experiencing prolonged and complicated grief, integrating psychotherapy and, when appropriate, medication management as part of a collaborative plan. Care is available in person at the practice's East Setauket office and through secure telehealth visits for residents across New York and Florida, an option that can be especially meaningful for someone for whom leaving the house feels like too much on a hard day.

The practice emphasizes that it does not diagnose anyone through an article or a phone call. Its role is to listen, evaluate carefully, and discuss options collaboratively, so a person can decide what path forward feels right for them.

Learning more

People who are wondering whether their grief has become something more can find information about evaluation, therapy, and telehealth options through Resilience Psychiatry's care for prolonged and complicated grief.

A note on crisis support: If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of self-harm, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, or call 911 in an emergency.

About Resilience Psychiatry

Resilience Psychiatry, P.C. is an outpatient psychiatry practice based in East Setauket, New York, providing evidence-based, compassionate care for adults, teens, and children experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, and related conditions. Services include psychiatric evaluation, medication management, psychotherapy, and telepsychiatry for patients across New York and Florida. The practice is led by board-certified psychiatrists Dr. Ricardo Cáceda, MD, PhD and Dr. Jessica Carbajal Cáceda, MD. The clinical team also includes Dr. Rachel Spector, MD and Alyssa Wolfe, LMSW. Learn more at resilience-psychiatry.com.

Contact Information:

Resilience Psychiatry

46 New York 25A, Ste 4
Setauket- East Setauket, New York 11733
United States

Dr. Ricardo Cáceda, MD, PhD
+1-631-371-4844
https://resilience-psychiatry.com