Recent Stories
Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My husband died two years ago. I also lost my home of more than a quarter century. and had to file for bankruptcy due to his passing. I have no idea how to get over this and live again. I cry every day. People are tired of my grief and stay away. Please help […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, Is the best and probably only way to get through complicated grief through the use of antidepressants? Thanks. Demi Dear Demi, Both clinical experience and clinical research suggest that antidepressant medication is a mixed blessing in the context of bereavement, for several reasons. In fact, for many years psychiatrists agreed that […]
Continue ReadingHi Dr. Neimeyer, My husband died unexpectedly five years ago at the age of 54. We were together for 33 years. He dropped dead in front of me with no warning. They said that he was gone before he hit the floor. We had a very good marriage and I am thankful for the time […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, Thirteen years ago I experienced a seizure while driving. My mother was killed in the accident. I had an extremely close relationship with my mother. I continue to feel guilty and struggle to make sense of this tragedy. Phil Dear Phil, Your tragic story, summarized vividly in so few words, conveys the catastrophic […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My husband passed away suddenly and unexpectedly over two years ago. I am in a lot of emotional pain, but that’s not why I am writing. Three decades ago my husband’s daughter accused him of molesting her; this recollection had come to her, she said, during a course of psychotherapy. He said […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My question is regarding my mother. We lost my father very unexpectedly this past summer, and she is having a very hard time with his loss, as we all are. My question is this: Is it good for her to have her bedroom looking like a shrine to him, so that whenever […]
Continue ReadingDear. Dr. Neimeyer, Do you think that because I found my dad’s body a few hours after a normal visit that could be a reason I’m having such a difficult time now with his death? Today is five months and I can’t stop crying. I lost my dad on Father’s Day and it was so unexpected. […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My only child, my 16 year old daughter, took her own life just one month ago. She showed no signs at all. Straight A student, worked as cashier part time, saving money for college. She just finished her College Boards and got an amazing score. I know this wasn’t planned–she had placed orders […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I have a friend who recently had a tragic loss, but I find myself uncertain about what to say to her. I don’t want to intrude. What is the best thing to say to someone who is bereaved? Laurie Dear Laurie, In Buddhism, the Noble Eightfold Path describes the attitudes and behaviors […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My 23 year old daughter lost her husband two years ago. He was a soldier and her high school sweetheart. He was killed in a car accident on a military base. She is so lost and devastated. She feels like she has lost her identity and has questioned everything in life now. […]
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