Relearning the World through Grief-Informed Case Formulation: A Critique of Prolonged Grief Disorder

Drawing on existential and humanistic frameworks, this review article critically examines the diagnosis of prolonged grief disorder and questions the usefulness of reducing grieving to a fixed set of symptoms and timelines. It argues that such diagnostic approaches risk marginalizing individual and cultural variations in grieving and fail to honour the personal, contextual, and meaning-laden nature of bereavement. Through philosophical and psychological critique, the article proposes a person-centred and relational approach to grief. A grief-informed case formulation is suggested as a collaborative, context-sensitive practice that supports meaning-making without imposing psychiatric labels or pathologizing emotional suffering. Rather than viewing grief as a disorder to be treated, the article advocates for understanding it as a natural and potentially transformative human response and argues for integrating grief into the bereaved person’s life story as a way to relearn the world. Finally, the article calls for future research into alternative ways of approaching grief, including the use of grief-informed case formulation, metaphor, ritual, and artistic practices, which may offer richer, more humanizing, and community-building pathways for support and understanding.