- Signs of Grief in Children and Teens:
Normal
Emotional Behaviors: - oceans of
tears
- crying at unexpected times
- having strong feelings about seemingly small things
- over-reacting to a situation
- inability to concentrate or focus
- noncompliance
with adults
- needing to be near an adult all the time
- being angry at everyone and everything
- seeing someone and believing it is the person who died
- forgetfulness
- lowered self esteem
- irritability
- clowning
Normal Verbal behaviors:
- talking about the deceased or loss a lot
- not talking about the deceased or loss at
all
- asking numerous questions
- not asking questions
- wishing to be with the deceased
- engaging
attention by talking a lot
- saying clownish things
- becoming the class bully, class clown or withdrawn from
others
- mentioning nighttime dreams about the person who died
- wanting to hear the story of the loss over and
over again
- not wanting to hear the story
- voicing fears of almost everything and anything
- imitate and
idolize their loved one who has died
- appear to daydream
- yearn to be with the deceased.
- voicing worries
about safety, other people getting sick or dying
Normal Physical behaviors:
eating
a lot
not eating much
sleeping a lot
not sleeping
urine and bowel accidents
pains in the stomach
and other areas unexplained by physician
non-serious, recurrent illnesses such as colds, sore throats, and headaches.
older children regressing: clinging,wanting to do babyish things such as suck a bottle, play with dolls
aggressive
behavior such as hitting, pinching
needing to touch people frequently
weariness and fatigue, even with enough sleep
wanting to rip and destroy things
Worrisome behaviors:
* dangerous risk taking
* self destructive behaviors
* threatening to hurt self or others
* violent play
* total withdrawal from people and environment
* a dramatic change in personality or functioning
over a long period of time
* any of the "normal" behaviors happening over a very long time or to
an extreme.