A National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored randomized controlled trial offers physicians new guidance on what treatments are effective for complicated grief, a disorder associated with negative (and sometimes debilitating) health consequences. Katherine Shear, M.D., and colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh publish their findings in the June 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/293/21/2601).

The investigators compared two short-term "talk" therapies — interpersonal psychotherapy and a targeted treatment they developed specifically for complicated grief — in a group of 83 women and 12 men. Both treatments eased symptoms in some patients, but the targeted therapy response rate was twice as successful (51 percent). The investigators conclude that complicated grief is a specific condition in need of a specific treatment.

Source: National Institute of Mental Health