Prolonged grief disorder is a new diagnosis included in the ICD-11 and the DSM-5-TR. While there is evidence in support of the validity and practical value of a grief diagnosis, challenges and controversies are generally given short shrift. In this webinar, such challenges and controversies will be reviewed, including those associated with the assessment of this novel diagnosis, its distinction from “normal” or “typical” grief, and its possible adverse societal effects, such as the medicalization of grief, the development of grief-related pharmacotherapy, and stigmatization. The goal of the webinar is to provide a clinically-informative, balanced perspective on the history, validity, and societal impact of prolonged grief disorder.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the proposed advantages of the inclusion of prolonged grief disorder in diagnostic handbooks.
2. Describe the challenges and controversies related to prolonged grief disorder.
3. Identify key difficulties in the application of prolonged grief disorder in clinical practice

About the Presenter:

Dr. Maarten Eisma, PhD Maarten C. Eisma, PhD, is Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. His research focuses on the causes, consequences, and treatment of severe, persistent grief (i.e., prolonged grief disorder). He has helped develop multiple internet-based interventions for prolonged grief disorder and Dutch practice guidelines for grief in palliative care. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. He is editorial board member of Death Studies and Journal of Loss and Trauma and member of the Dutch-Flemish research school experimental psychopathology (EPP). In April 2023, he received the ADEC Research Recognition Award.