Stages of Grief

Do you know what grief really is? On this episode of the Millennial Health Podcast Dr. Jones-Bourne and I talk about what grief really is and how it can escalate. In this episode you can also learn about the seven stages of grief, and how the pandemic has impacted mental health. 

Dr. Jones-Bourne is a New York City-based psychiatrist that works in emergency departments throughout the United States. 

Reference: Millennial Health Podcast on Depression

Connect with Dr. Jones-Bourne: Website

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are my own and do not represent those of my employer.

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Summary of episode:

Dr. Claudine Jones-Bourne is a New York City-based psychiatrist that works in emergency departments throughout the United States. Through her professional experiences she has gained significant insights into grief and its impact, and she tells us all about it in this episode.

First, she helps us define grief. We discuss that grief is not just the loss of a loved one, but the loss of anything. You can grieve persons, things, events, or even plans you had for yourself. Unfortunately, since many of us don’t know what grief looks like, we don’t recognize that we’re grieving.

We also talk about the connection between mental health and grief. When grief goes unresolved it can lead to psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or even suicide. For a more in-depth look at depression, Dr. Jones-Bourne and I discussed this topic in a previous episode of the Millennial Health Podcast.

In this week’s episode, Dr. Jones-Bourne acknowledged that the pandemic has had a significant impact on our mental health. This has resulted in emergency departments across the country filled with psychiatric patients, and the rise of new terms like “post pandemic stress” and “FONO” (fear of normal).

She also teaches us about the seven stages of grief. These stages of grief are: shock and denial; pain and guilt; anger and bargaining; depression, loneliness and reflection; upward turn; reconstruction; and acceptance and hope. 

Dr. Jones-Bourne explains that if you are grieving but don’t get to the final stage of grief, this can ultimately lead to unresolved conflict in your psyche. And if the grief does escalate to mental illness, then it’s time to get help. 


Key Points

• Grief can be defined as the loss of anything, not just the loss of a loved one.
• Grief can escalate into psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicide if left unresolved.
• Dr. Jones-Bourne advises that if grief does escalate to mental illness, then it’s time to get help. 
• The pandemic has negatively impacted our mental health.
• There are seven stages of grief.