By SHARON KIRKEY
Montreal Gazette

Excerpts:

“Human grief could soon be diagnosed as a mental disorder under a proposal critics fear could lead to mood-altering pills being pushed for ‘mourning.’ Psychiatrists charged with revising the official  ‘bible’ of mental illness are recommending changes that would make it easier for doctors to diagnose major depression in the newly bereaved.”

“This is a disaster,” says Frances, a renowned U.S. psychiatrist who chaired the task force that wrote the current edition of the DSM, which is now undergoing its fifth revision. “Say you lose someone you love and two weeks later you feel sad, can’t sleep well, and have reduced interest, appetite, and energy. These five symptoms are completely typical of normal grieving, but DSM-5 would instead label you with a mental disorder.”