Grief, a natural response to loss, occurs in different stages. Dr. Elisabeth Kubler identified five stages of grieving in her book, "On Death and Dying," published in 1969 and based on her work with terminally ill patients in Chicago. Not all people go through each stage during a period of grieving, and the order varies among people. Medline Plus, a National Institutes of Health Resource, recommends that people respect and embrace the different stages of grief as they experience them, rather than prevent or change them.
Denial
The first stage of the grieving process involves denial. During this period, you don't accept that the loss took place and don't acknowledge its effects. While in denial, you may withdraw or remove yourself from your normal activities. During denial, you may refuse to talk to others about the loss or remove yourself from people involved with it.
Anger
Anger, the second stage, involves blame--blaming yourself for the loss or assigning responsibility to others. You may direct anger toward the person who died or who is responsible for the loss. Medline Plus reports that the cause of death may dictate how long a person remains in a certain stage. Death related to a chronic illness may bring relief and diminish anger while a violent or accidental loss may prolong the amount of time someone spends denying the loss or experiencing anger about it.
Bargaining
In the third stage, or bargaining, you make deals with God or a higher power, declaring that you will change or do something if the situation reverses itself. For example, a person may bargain with God by stating she will go to church every day if God takes away the loss or reverses the situation.
Depression
Depression, the fourth stage, causes withdrawal, feelings of hopelessness, lethargy and sadness. During this stage, you may feel numb, experience changes in appetite and lose pleasure in activities that you typically enjoy. Support groups, bereavement groups and counseling may help people recover from depression during this period. Medline Plus recommends seeking help if depression, or any of the other stages, interfere with your activities of daily living for longer than two months.
Acceptance
Acceptance, the final stage of grief, occurs when you accept the reality of the loss. While times spent in the different stages varies among individuals, the acute phase of grief typically last for two months, and mild symptoms occur during the year after a loss, according to Medline Plus.
