bereavement 

The death of a loved person is one of the most distressing although also one of the most natural experiences we will all have to go through.
The process that we use to deal with the inevitably distressing feelings brought up by bereavement is known as mourning. There are well recognised stages that a person goes through in the natural course of mourning, they are, shock, disbelief, guilt, anger, resignation and acceptance. If these stages are successfully navigated a person will be able to come to terms with the bereavement and move on in their life. 

However, when the process of mourning becomes "stuck" or if the circumstances are particularly traumatic, as in the death of a child, a
suicide or an unexpected bereavement a person may experience feelings of depression which, rather than following the normal course of mourning, become stuck and feel impossible to get out of. Alternatively, a person may deny any feelings of grief and become manic or emotionless as a way of fending off the intolerable feelings of pain elicited by the death. It is also not unusual for some sense of relief to be
felt if the death is as a result of a long illness but there may also be a sense of guilt associated with those feelings. 

People react in very different ways to bereavement and a lot will depend on their early experiences and the circumstances in which the person died. It is very important to be able to express grief and a supportive and loving network of family and friends will help the bereaved person
to come to terms with their loss and move on.