The Looping Effects of Grief Classifications: Public Discourses Behind the Screen

The medicalization of grief occurred when Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) was incorporated as a mental illness in the two most prominent diagnostic manuals. This inclusion is debated in the field, and some arguments against this diagnostic label emphasize grief is a normal human response to the death of a loved one. Some arguments in support of the diagnosis stress that the disorder will help those struggling in their grief to get proper support. These debates are primarily situated in the academic field of literature and minimally incorporates the voices of those that this diagnosis would impact. In addition, it is valuable to consider how a diagnostic label pertaining to grief impacts those who receive the label. Guided by social constructionism, I addressed these gaps by completing a discourse analysis of public Reddit threads. My research question asks how individuals construct their understanding of the medicalization of grief and its implications within discourses of an online forum. In my analysis, I uncovered nine varied discourses regarding how the public discuss the medicalization of grief. These discourses reflect the current academic debates surrounding PGD, in which many were either opposed to or supported PGD as a diagnostic label. This analysis also highlighted an additional discourse regarding how the public discusses the relationship between insurance providers and their mental health. In my discussion, I frame possible looping effects that may be developing in PGD, and outline implications of this project for the broader discipline, and mental health providers.