Pathological grief: two Victorian case studies.

Abstract

Despite 75 years of investigation, the concept of pathological grief remains tenuous and controversial. The author turns to the stories of two nineteenth century women, one real and the other fictitious to examine the syndrome of grief gone away. He concludes that pathological grief may be best viewed on a continuum of psychopathology, the expression of which depends upon the interaction between the personality of the patient, the nature of the lost relationship, and the circumstances of its loss.