Nadine O’Regan: Who has the right to tell us how long we may grieve our loved ones?
That the US psychiatry body has just designated grief lasting more than a year as a mental illness is a disturbing indictment of our society
There’s such a fear about talking about grief, isn’t there? There’s a short window of time in which one is allowed to discuss grief, after which most people – except your very best friends – will not be able for the subject. Mention a deceased relative or a long-dead-but-beloved friend in passing, even with the nicest of anecdotes, and you can guarantee the result: everyone looks deeply uncomfortable. The thread of the conversation is lost ...
