Pharmacological treatment of bereavement-related distress: a systematic review.
Charlotte D LaPlante, Sydney C Saviano, Madeleine M Hardt et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review assessed pharmacological treatments for bereavement-related psychological distress, including depression following bereavement. It included 33 studies—10 case series or studies, 7 cohort studies and 16 clinical trials—with 211,920 participants. Across controlled studies, no medication reduced grief symptoms. The pooled effect on grief was negligible (SMD -0.06 [95% CI, -0.31-0.19], data from three studies); the effect on depression was small and not statistically significant (SMD -0.29 [95% CI, -0.68-0.10], data from two studies). Overall study quality was low.
Key findings
- No medication reduced grief symptoms across controlled studies; the pooled effect was negligible (SMD -0.06 [95% CI, -0.31-0.19], three studies).
- The pooled effect of pharmacotherapy on depression was small and not significant (SMD -0.29 [95% CI, -0.68-0.10], two studies).
- Antidepressants and a beta blocker plus aspirin appeared efficacious for depression symptoms in bereaved individuals.
- The review included 33 studies and 211,920 participants; overall study quality was low.
Why it matters
The findings distinguish evidence for treating depression after bereavement from evidence for reducing grief itself. Although some interventions appeared to help depressive symptoms, the controlled evidence did not show reduced grief severity. This is relevant as prolonged grief disorder is now included in diagnostic manuals, while the review identifies a lack of established pharmacological options and substantial limitations in the available evidence.
What to keep in mind
Overall study quality was low, and weak methodology and inconsistent data reporting made results difficult to synthesize.