ABSTRACT
MeganP. andherhusbandweremakingplans to celebrate their 25thanniversarywhen he died of a heart attack. Although it has been over six years since his death, Megan continues to struggle with powerful feelings of depression and loneliness. She feels that she must hide these feelings from her friends, who expect her to have “moved on” by now. How should her intense and prolonged distress following her husband’s death be interpreted? Perhaps she and her husband shared such a close bond that she finds it unbearable to go on without him. Alternatively, her continuing grief may reflect preexisting psychological problems or an absence of coping resources.
