A cognitive approach to persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD)

Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) has been included in the appendix of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5, APA, 2013) as a condition for further study and a new diagnostic category of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is likely to be added to ICD 11 (Maercker et al., 2013). Whilst there is increasing evidence that prolonged grief has distinct characteristics (Bryant, 2012) there are clinical features which overlap with posttraumatic stress disorder, such as intrusive memories, emotional numbing, and avoidance of trauma or loss reminders. Here we describe how the cognitive model for persistent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Ehlers & Clark, 2000) and trauma focused cognitive therapy for PTSD (Ehlers et al., 2005) have been helpful in treating persistent complex grief.