Grief and depression share many of the same symptoms (e.g., sleep disturbance, appetite disturbance, & intense sadness) but you won’t find a loss in self-esteem in grief which is commonly found in clinical depression. Sadness and grief can be evoked as the grieving person confronts their loss that includes the inability to get their relevant needs met or of fulfilling future plans with the deceased (what could have been). Further, grief contains a symbolic component that is represented by the personal meaning and narrative representation of the relationship between the person and their loved one that has been altered by death.
Grief is often discussed as a stage process (i.e., stages of grief) but there is no empirical research supporting this idea. Endorsing a progression through specific stages of grief can be harmful to those not experiencing them. Basic Western assumptions regarding coping with grief indicate that a person must confront personal feelings and reactions to the death (grief work) and a failure to confront these intense emotions is maladaptive (avoidance). This includes accepting the reality of the loss and allowing oneself to feel the pain of grief is fundamental in letting go.
Letting go is experienced as the pain of loss (sadness) that serves as a gateway to healing through compassion. The circumstances of the death and the mourner’s mental health can influence the experience and response to the loss. A complex number of emotions typically accompany grief. They can include sadness, anger, guilt, fear, shame, and nostalgic-joy. Adaptive emotions such as sadness, self-compassion for the pain, anger at the unfairness, and nostalgic-joy from the positive memories of the relationship are instrumental in processing the grief.
~ Yamonte