Bereavement is a major life stressor that typically causes painful and debilitating symptoms of acute grief; however these commonly progress to the restoration of a satisfying but changed life. In some individuals this acute pain takes hold and becomes chronically debilitating and it is these symptoms that refer to complicated pain or pathological pain. Complicated grief presents with extreme or prolonged symptoms that cause great difficulty for the individual in overcoming the loss, negatively impacting his or her life for longer and with greater intensity than normal grief (Shear, Simon, Wall, et al., 2011 ). Complicated grief (CG) is also called prolonged or pathological grief. During the first few months after a loss, many signs and symptoms of normal grief are the same as complicated grief. However, while normal pain symptoms gradually begin to fade within a few months, those of complicated pain persist or worsen. Complicated grief is like being in a state of chronic, intense grief. This is not to be confused with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a serious condition usually caused by a serious, traumatic event. While there are some similarities between the two, research confirms that there are enough differences that researchers are pushing the American Association of Psychiatry to consider including it as a disorder in the next version of the DSM. There is currently no pain disorder published in this manual. The Inventory of Complicated Grief Assessment (ICG) tool was created by Prigerson, H in 1995, however, the CG is not yet recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Edition 5 (DSM-V), May 2013, suggesting that… half of the document… goals and a lower perceived likelihood of achieving the goals. They also found that those with more severe CG symptoms reported more goals associated with loss, more goals related to emotional states, and fewer goals related to work/education and relationships. The author concluded that because the loss depends in part on the person's ability to continue or restore satisfying or meaningful activities, it is helpful for clinicians to help people focus on outward-directed goals versus inward-directed goals. internal (Boelen, 2011). The loss of a loved one can be life's biggest stressor. As you can see, complicated or prolonged pain can have far-reaching and long-lasting negative effects in all areas of an individual's life if left untreated. The inability to seek treatment or overcome the loss can have effects that alter the course of a person's life.