The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in Wuhan China on December 31, 2019. COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. To reduce the spread of this virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommended self and mandatory quarantine of exposed individuals and self-isolation. However, the psychological impact of this pandemic includes new onset or worsening of existing mental illnesses which include but are not limited to anxiety, depression from social isolation, eating disorders, and uptake in suicidality either in isolation or part of mental illness symptomatology. In the USA, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 years while globally, it is the second cause of death among people aged 15-29 years. The authors present a case of two young women of minority population with no prior psychiatric illnesses who presented to the psychiatry emergency room with suicidal attempts due to COVID-19 pandemic-related psychosocial stressors.
Pathological grief has been noted to have considerable adverse effects on affected individuals. In the DSM-5, the diagnosis of complicated grief is included under conditions for further study as Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD). PCBD can be easily missed because it is a relatively new and developing diagnosis. It can also be overlooked when it is comorbid with more common psychiatric disorders. We present 2 patients with PCBD diagnosed in the inpatient unit, while the patients were admitted for comorbid disorders. PCBD contributed immensely to both patients’ suffering and decline in functioning. This report highlights the presentation, diagnoses, and management of these patients. We theorize that paying attention to separation distress, reactive distress to loss, and identity disruption in individuals who have been bereaved for over 12 months will enhance treatment specificity and lead to better patient outcomes.
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