The stages of grief typically cited range between three and seven, while most models subscribe to four or five different stages of grief. According to an article published in the Chicago Tribune in September 2007, there are five measurable stages of grief. The grieving process is usually worked through by most people in six months, while others may require professional help to get through the process.
Disbelief
Within the first month of a loss, many individuals have trouble comprehending and admitting the loss of a loved one. They might deny it outright or simply fail to understand the finality of the event and what it means for their lives. Shock and emotional numbness are common in this stage, and isolation may occur. This stage typically peaks roughly one month after the incident.
Yearning
At this stage, individuals suffer from a yearning emotion related to separation anxiety. They are more concerned about recapturing the feeling of the deceased person's presence than they are in accepting the circumstances, and will attempt to find and retrieve the feelings they have lost. Frustration and disappointment are common emotions at this stage, which increases steadily and typically peaks at four months.
Anger
Anger can be aimed in various directions, but usually it is toward the loved one they have lost. They can also be mad at the world and other people, primarily ones they connect to the loss. Anger can also be turned inward by an individual who feels guilt, regardless of whether the guilt is reasonable. According to the Chicago Tribune report, this stage peaks five months after the loss.
Depression
Depression is marked primarily by sadness, although anger can remain. Depression can cause feelings of despair and helplessness and can be a volatile period of time for individuals experiencing extreme depression, or for those with a history of clinical depression. Depression peaks six months after the incident occurs, typically.
Acceptance
In the final stage, a grieving individual emerges from depression and accepts the loss of the loved one as reality. Feelings of anger and sadness may remain, but the person's emotional state is no longer dominated by these feelings. Some individuals may require professional help from a mental health professional to reach this stage.
