When someone you love dies
Information
Here you’ll find answers to common feelings about losing someone you loved.
Select the underlined questions below to see more.
Difficult time
Grieving
5 Stages of Grief
Difficult time
When someone that you love dies, it can be one of the most difficult experiences you go through in life. It can feel like you are left alone in the world and that nobody understands you like your loved one did.
Grieving
Having intense feelings of distress and sadness after a loved one dies is often called grieving. Everyone experiences grieving in their own way. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. 
Along with feeling distressed or sad, other common feelings, include shock, anger, worry, depression and a sense of helplessness. When someone has been unwell for a long time before they die, you might also feel a sense of relief.
5 Stages of Grief
A famous psychiatrist called Elizabeth Kübler-Ross described the change in how we feel after a loved one dies as a part of going through five different stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Whilst many people may go through some or all of these stages, everyone who has a loved one die will experience grief in their own way. While feelings can change over time and become less intense, there is no time limit on how long people will feel different emotions after a bereavement.
Coping with
There are a number of strategies that can help you to cope with a bereavement such as:
If you’re struggling here are some ideas that may help you cope:
Finding help
Who can I talk to?
- Friends
- Family
- Someone you trust at school
- Youth worker
- Health professional (GP; Counsellor Nurse)
- Charities and Helplines
Select the underlined topics below to view what resources are available.
Helpful websites
Helpful websites
Getting more help
If you haven’t already found the help you’re looking for, you can find additional information and services which are more interactive here.
You can also make a referral to Mental Health Services by completing the online referral form
Select the underlined topics below to view what resources are available.
Help lines
Local services
