DSM‐5and Bereavement: The Loss of Normal Grief?

Abstract

The mood disorder work group has proposed to eliminate the bereavement exclusion criterion from the diagnosis of major depression in the 5th edition of theAmerican Psychiatric Association's (2012)Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The proposal would break tradition with the long‐held distinction between depression and normal bereavement. This article reviews the development of the bereavement exclusion, discusses evidence for and against the proposal, and offers some relevant implications for counselors in light of the research on depression and bereavement.