When it stops being grief and becomes something else
Someone died. Maybe more than one someone, close together, the way it sometimes goes.
When it stops being grief and becomes something else
Someone died. Maybe more than one someone, close together, the way it sometimes goes.
At first what you felt made sense. Grief is supposed to be terrible. People understood, brought food, checked in.
Then the checking-in stopped, the way it does, and you noticed that what you were carrying had changed shape. It stopped feeling like missing them and started feeling like a weight that's just there — flattening everything, including things that have nothing to do with them.
You can't always tell where the grief ends and something else starts. That's not a failure of insight. The line is genuinely blurry.
What's worth knowing
Grief and depression aren't the same thing, and grief doesn't need to be treated as an illness. But loss can precipitate a depressive episode, particularly for someone who has dealt with depression before, and particularly when losses stack up.
Some signals worth paying attention to: it isn't easing over months, it's affecting your ability to function, you're withdrawing from people who matter, or you're feeling worse rather than slowly better.
None of that is a diagnosis. It's a reason to talk to someone qualified to make one.
Where SPRAVATO® fits, and where it doesn't
SPRAVATO® is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression — depression that hasn't responded to at least two antidepressants. It isn't a treatment for grief, and nobody should tell you it is.
If depression predated your loss and has deepened, or if you've been treated for depression before and standard medications aren't reaching this, it's worth understanding as an option.
A clinician can help you sort out what you're actually dealing with. That's a more useful first step than deciding on a treatment.
If you're struggling right now
Call or text 988 any time. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day.
Important Safety Information
BOXED WARNING: SPRAVATO® can cause sedation, dissociation, respiratory depression, abuse and misuse, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. SPRAVATO® is only available through a restricted program called the SPRAVATO® REMS.
SPRAVATO® can cause sleepiness, fainting, dizziness, spinning sensation, anxiety, dissociation, and breathing problems. Patients must be monitored by a healthcare provider for at least 2 hours after each dose. There is a risk of abuse and misuse, which may lead to physical and psychological dependence. Antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts and actions in some people 24 years of age and younger. SPRAVATO® is not for use in children.
Do not take SPRAVATO® if you have aneurysmal vascular disease, an arteriovenous malformation, a history of bleeding in the brain, or an allergy to esketamine or ketamine.
Do not drive or operate machinery until the next day after a restful sleep.
The most common side effects include feeling disconnected from yourself, your thoughts, feelings and surroundings; dizziness; nausea; sleepiness; spinning sensation; numbness; anxiety; lack of energy; increased blood pressure; vomiting; feeling drunk; headache; and feeling very happy or excited. If these occur, they usually happen right after taking SPRAVATO® and go away the same day.
Neuro Wellness TMS Centers of America is a certified SPRAVATO® REMS treatment center. SPRAVATO® is only available at healthcare settings certified in the SPRAVATO® REMS program and must be self-administered under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
Please see the full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warnings, and the Medication Guide, and discuss any questions with your healthcare provider.
SPRAVATO® is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson and its affiliates. Neuro Wellness TMS Centers of America is not affiliated with or endorsed by Johnson & Johnson.
Start with a conversation
A clinician can help you sort out what you're actually dealing with. That's a more useful first step than deciding on a treatment. Schedule a free phone consultation or call (954) 827-9793.