Death of A Child

Do I have PTSD?

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I have a question please. I lost my sixteen year old son in an accident only fifteen months ago. I can hardly walk through this house of memories, so I stay isolated in one room. I do not want to be bothered. My mom lives here and has taken over for a […]

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I Lost My Son to a Drug Overdose

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I lost my son five years ago to a drug overdose. l battled with him for several years trying to break his addiction. He died right before his 28 birthday. I feel like I lost everything when I lost him. He was my baby. I have three other children and numerous grandchildren, but the kids say I’m

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Violent Death of a Son

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My son was stabbed this Spring and lost his life two days later, and they let the guy walk free.  I continue fighting for justice for my son, but I am so lost without him. I am literally going crazy. I can’t sleep, I don’t eat properly, and I have lost 25

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My teenage son was electrocuted…

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My teenage son was electrocuted at home accidentally almost 20 years ago.  My counselor is not happy with my saying he was killed.  I know the difference because about three decades ago, another toddler son died from a cerebral aneurysm , so in my eyes one died and one was killed and

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Daughter Murdered by the Father of Her Children

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My daughter was murdered by the father of her children. Her children at the time were a toddler and an infant. It’s now seven years later. My daughter was just 21 years old. I had to get my granddaughter’s things out of the apartment she was murdered in, so it was very

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My Daughter was Murdered

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My daughter was murdered a year ago. She was upset with me before it happened. I saw her the morning it happened, and we only waved at each other. Later, I saw her body lying on the floor in her house and I can’t get that image out of my head. I

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My Gay Daughter Took Her Own Life – Gay Pride Month

Dear 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

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My son died of cancer…holding on to good memories

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My 26 year old son died 7 years ago after a prolonged battle with a malignant brain tumor. I was his caretaker. He was my first child and my only son. Our relationship was magnificent. I can’t get a grip on the good memories. I am constantly thrown into a grand mal seizure or

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Complicated Grief: A therapist asks about the loss of a daughter

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I have been working intermittently for many years with a woman named Pam who was divorced when her adult children were adolescents, as a result of the father’s unpredictable and violent behavior and alcoholism. Likewise, two of her four children have had long histories of drug and alcohol use, despite her funding

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Why do I feel guilty?

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, Why do I feel guilty when I laugh or have fun, knowing my daughter isn’t here, and I shouldn’t be having fun? Dolores Dear Dolores– There is an unwritten code in our culture–one that is an explicit prescription in many world cultures–that presumes that we honor the dead when we wear our

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