Recent Stories
“My wonderful husband of 55 years on August 19 died with cardiac arrest this past June. I am so heartbroken. I have many, many cards and Mass cards with so many words of love for him and me and they are most comforting. However, I am lost. My children are wonderful and for the first […]
Continue ReadingDear 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 […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer I lost my young wife after twenty years of marriage. Since then I feel like I’ve moved on; I found a new wife whom I love completely. We’ve raised terrific children. My problem is that I have an irrational fear of loss. At least once a day I obsess about losing my […]
Continue ReadingDear 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 […]
Continue ReadingMy 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 to me there […]
Continue Reading“An Oncology Unit Nurse Asks…” is a repeat of an earlier Dr. Neimeyer column that we think is especially appropriate for Labor Day. We all need to understand the emotional toll the pandemic is taking on health care workers. -Editor Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I work on an oncology unit in a large metropolitan hospital as […]
Continue ReadingDear 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 […]
Continue ReadingEditor’s Note: Loss of Financial Security is a repost we thought would be very relevant in these troubled times. 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 […]
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 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 […]
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