Prolong Grief: A Post-Loss Stress Disorder - Learning to recognize and treat it (Award Lecture-Award for Research in Psychiatry)-View Presentation

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Dr. Kathy Scheer, the recipient of the Excellence in Research Award in Psychiatry, has significantly contributed to the study and treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, and grief. Currently, a professor at Columbia University, she pioneered the first clinical research program in anxiety disorders and has extensively studied panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Her recent work focuses on bereavement and grief, culminating in a study that demonstrated the efficacy of a modified interpersonal psychotherapy for complicated grief.<br /><br />Dr. Scheer has developed several assessment tools and is recognized for her comprehensive publications and national and international presentations. She emphasizes the importance of understanding prolonged grief disorder (PGD) not as an abnormal condition but as a natural reaction that can overwhelm individuals, pointing out how PGD was first proposed in the 1990s but only recently included in DSM-5TR after rigorous research validation.<br /><br />Dr. Scheer discusses the evolution of PGD as a diagnosis, driven by meticulous examination of the criteria supported by literature and empirical evidence. She notes that while grief from loss is natural, for some, it becomes prolonged, significantly affecting individuals' lives. Her treatment focuses on guiding individuals through adaptation, using evidence-based methods to help them process and accept the reality of loss. Dr. Scheer’s research and clinical programs offer invaluable insights into handling grief, aiming to transform experiences of profound loss into life-affirming adaptations.

Keywords

Kathy Scheer

Excellence in Research Award

anxiety disorders

depression

grief

Columbia University

clinical research

panic disorder

obsessive-compulsive disorder

prolonged grief disorder

DSM-5TR

interpersonal psychotherapy