disenfranchised grief as, “Grief that persons experience when they incur a loss that is not or cannot be openly acknowledged, socially sanctioned or publicly mourned”.

disenfranchised grief as,

“Grief that persons experience when they incur a loss that is not or cannot be openly acknowledged, socially sanctioned or publicly mourned”. 

 this can happen for a number of reasons that, for the most, fall into one (or sometimes more) of the following categories:

1. The loss isn’t seen as worthy of grief (ex. non-death losses)
2. The relationship is stigmatized (ex. partner in an extramarital affair)
3. The mechanism of death is stigmatized (ex. suicide or overdose death)
4. The person grieving is not recognized as a griever (ex. co-workers or ex-partners)

5. The way someone is grieving is stigmatized. (ex. the absence of an outward grief response or extreme grief responses)

64 Examples of Disenfranchised Grief and Loss

1. A death by suicide
2. A death by drug overdose
3. Death of a pet
4. Infertility
5. Loss of a home
6. Grieving someone you didn’t know well
7. Grieving someone you didn’t know at all (like a celebrity)
8. Grieving someone you only knew online (cyber loss)
9. The death of a sibling
10. Grief that people think has gone on ‘too long’
11. Loss of someone elderly
12. A death by homicide
13. A death from HIV/AIDS
14. Getting clean and the loss of drug
15. Death of the partner in an extra-marital affair.
16. Loss of a job
17. Divorce
18. Moving/loss of community
19. Grieving someone you can’t remember (ex. a parent who died when you were an infant)
20. Grieving someone who died before you were born (an older sibling who died before you were born)
21. Dying from childbirth
22. Death of an ex-spouse or ex-partner
23. Death of a same-sex partner
24. Miscarriage and stillbirth
25. Estrangement from family
26. Loss of meaningful objects/belongings
27. Not showing ‘enough’ emotion while grieving
28. Showing ‘too much’ emotion while grieving
29. Loss of language, culture, and tradition
30. Loss of hopes and dreams for the future
31. Grief following an abortion
32. Grief following adoption
33. Learning a secret/finding out a person wasn’t who you thought they were
34. Grieving someone who is still living (examples #34-41)
35. Grieving a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia
36. Grieving a loved one with a substance use disorder
37. Grieving someone who has experienced a traumatic brain injury
38. Grieving someone who is dealing with a severe mental illness
39. Grieving someone who has run away
40. Grieving someone who has disappeared
41. Grieving someone who is incarcerated
42. Grieving family separation due to foster care
43. Loss of physical health
44. Loss of independence
45. The death of a co-worker
46. The death of a patient or client
47. Loss of ‘lifestyle’ (losing financial means, getting clean from drugs/alcohol)
48. Death of a step-child/step-parent
49. Death of a foster child/foster parent
50. Death due to child abuse
51. Death of the driver in a drunk driving accident
52. Death of someone in a ‘stigmatized’ peer group (a gang member, someone else using or selling drugs, etc).
53. Loss of faith or religious identity
54. ‘Circumstantial infertility’ (wanting a child but not having a partner with whom to have a child).
55. Loss of identity or sense of self
56. A foster child being reunited with biological family
57. Grieving a close friend
58. Grieving an unmarried partner
59. Feeling abandoned by a parent who is involved but distant after a divorce
60. Not having a ‘good’ relationship with a parent, sibling, or another family member.
61. Death of a doctor or therapist
62. Feeling failed or abandoned by friends, family, or community
63. The death of someone you hadn’t seen or been in touch with for many years
64. The person grieving is thought incapable of grief (someone with a mental disability, a young child)