couples find it difficult to adjust to the new identity of the bereaved, and the bereaved themselves have great challenges in reconnecting with others. widows of many cultures, for instance, wear black for the rest of their lives to signify the loss of their spouse and their grief. only in more recent decades has this tradition been reduced to a period of two years, while some religions such as orthodox christianity many widows will still continue to wear black for the remainder of their lives. death of a sibling grieving siblings are often referred to as the 'forgotten mourners' who are made to feel as if their grief is not as severe as their parents' grief (n.a., 2015). however, the sibling relationship tends to be the longest significant relationship of the lifespan and siblings who have been part of each other's lives since birth, such as twins, help form and sustain each other's identities; with the death of one sibling comes the loss of that part of the survivor's identity because "your identity is based on having them there". if siblings were not on good terms or close with each other, then intense feelings of guilt may ensue on the part of the surviving sibling (guilt may also ensue for having survived, not being able to prevent the death, having argued with their sibling, etc.) death of a parent queen maria ii of portugal crying and hugging a bust of her late father king pedro iv (also emperor of brazil as pedro i), 1836 for an adult when an adult child loses a parent in later adulthood, it is considered to be "timely" and to be a normative life course event. this allows the adult children to feel a permitted level of grief. however, research shows that the death of a parent in an adult's midlife is not a normative event by any measure, but is a major life transition causing an evaluation of one's own life or mortality. others may shut out friends and family in processing the loss of someone with whom they have had the longest relationship. in developed countries, people typically lose parents after the age of 50. for a child for a child, the death of a parent, without support to manage the effects of the grief, may result in long-term psychological harm. this is more likely if the adult carers are struggling with their own grief and are psychologically unavailable to the child. there is a critical role of the surviving parent or caregiver in helping the children adapt to a parent's death. however, losing a parent at a young age also has some positive effects. some children had an increased maturity, better coping skills and improved communication. adolescents who lost a parent valued other people more than those who have not experienced such a close loss. loss during childhood when a parent or caregiver dies or leaves, children may have symptoms of psychopathology, but they are less severe than in children with major depression. the loss of a parent, grandparent or sibling can be very troubling in childhood, but even in childhood there are age differences in relation to the loss. a very young child, under one or two, may be found to have no reaction if a carer dies, but other children may be affected by the loss. at a time when trust and dependency are formed, even mere separation can cause problems in well-being. this is especially true if the loss is around critical periods such as 8–12 months, when attachment and separation are at their height and even a brief separation from a parent or other caregiver can cause distress. even as a child grows older, death is still difficult to fathom and this affects how a child responds. for example, younger children see death more as a separation, and may believe death is curable or temporary. reactions can manifest themselves in "acting out" behaviors, a return to earlier behaviors such as thumb sucking, clinging to a toy or angry behavior. though they do not have the maturity to mourn as an adult, they feel the same intensity. as children enter pre-teen and teen years, there is a more mature understanding. adolescents may respond by delinquency, or oppositely become "over-achievers". repetitive actions are not uncommon such as washing a car repeatedly or taking up repetitive tasks such as sewing, computer games, etc. it is an effort to stay above the grief. childhood loss can predispose a child not only to physical illness but to emotional problems and an increased risk for suicide, especially in the adolescent period. grief can be experienced as a result of losses due to causes other than death. for example, women who have been physically, psychologically or sexually abused often grieve over the damage to or the loss of their ability to trust. this is likely to be experienced as disenfranchised grief. in relation to the specific issue of child sexual abuse, it has been argued by some commentators that the concepts of loss and grief offer particularly useful analytical frames for understanding both the impact of child sexual abuse and therapeutic ways to respond to it. from this perspective, child sexual abuse may represent for many children multiple forms of loss: not only of trust but also loss of control over their bodies, loss of innocence and indeed loss of their very childhoods. relocations can cause children significant grief particularly if they are combined with other difficult circumstances such as neglectful or abusive parental behaviors, other significant losses, etc. loss of a friend or classmate children may experience the death of a friend or a classmate through illness, accidents, suicide, or violence. initial support involves reassuring children that their emotional and physical feelings are normal. survivor guilt (or survivor's guilt; also called survivor syndrome or survivor's syndrome) is a mental condition that occurs when a person perceives themselves to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not. it may be found among survivors of combat, natural disasters, epidemics, among the friends and family of those who have died by suicide, and in non-mortal situations such as among those whose colleagues are laid off. other losses people who lose their jobs, such as these people in california, may experience grief. parents may grieve due to loss of children through means other than death, for example through loss of custody in divorce proceedings; legal termination of parental rights by the government, such as in cases of child abuse; through kidnapping; because the child voluntarily left home (either as a runaway or, for overage children, by leaving home legally); or because an adult refuses or is unable to have contact with a parent. this loss differs from the death of a child in that the grief process is prolonged or denied because of hope that the relationship will be restored. grief may occur after the loss of a romantic relationship (i.e. divorce or break up), a vocation, a pet (animal loss), a home, children leaving home (empty nest syndrome), sibling(s) leaving home, a friend, a faith in one's religion, etc. a person who strongly identifies with their occupation may feel a sense of grief if they have to stop their job due to retirement, being laid off, injury, or loss of certification. those who have experienced a loss of trust will often also experience some form of grief. veteran bereavement the grief of living veteran soldiers is often ignored. psychological effects and post traumatic syndrome disorder have been researched and studied but very few focus on grief and bereavement specifically. additionally, there have been many studies conducted about families losing members who were in the military but little about soldiers themselves. there are many monuments paying respect to those who were lost which emphasizes the lack of focus living veterans and soldiers get in regards to grief. gradual bereavement many of the above examples of bereavement happen abruptly, but there are also cases of being gradually bereft of something or someone. for example, the gradual loss of a loved one by alzheimer's produces a "gradual grief". the author kara tippetts described her dying of cancer, as dying "by degrees": her "body failing" and her "abilities vanishing". milton crum, writing about gradual bereavement says that "every degree of death, every death of a person's characteristics, every death of a person's abilities, is a bereavement". sensory experiences of the deceased bereaved people often report having sensory and quasi-sensory experiences of the deceased (sed), which were correlated with pathology like grief complications. support professional support many people who grieve do not need professional help. some, however, may seek additional support from licensed psychologists or psychiatrists. support resources available to the bereaved may include grief counseling, professional support-groups or educational classes, and peer-led support groups. in the united states of america, local hospice agencies may provide a first contact for those seeking bereavement support. it is important to recognize when grief has turned into something more serious, thus mandating contacting a medical professional. grief can result in depression or alcohol- and drug-abuse and, if left untreated, it can become severe enough to impact daily living. it recommends contacting a medical professional if "you can't deal with grief, you are using excessive amounts of drugs or alcohol, you become very depressed, or you have prolonged depression that interferes with your daily life". other reasons to seek medical attention may include: "can focus on little else but your loved one's death, have persistent pining or longing for the deceased person, have thoughts of guilt or self-blame, believe that you did something wrong or could have prevented the death, feel as if life is not worth living, have lost your sense of purpose in life, wish you had died along with your loved one". professionals can use multiple ways to help someone cope and move through their grief. hypnosis is sometimes used as an adjunct therapy in helping patients experiencing grief. hypnosis enhances and facilitates mourning and helps patients to resolve traumatic grief. art therapy may also be used to allow the bereaved to process their grief in a non-verbal way. lichtenthal and cruess studied how bereavement-specific written disclosure had benefits in helping adjust to loss, and in helping improve the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), prolonged grief disorder, and depression. directed writing helped many of the individuals who had experienced a loss of a significant relationship. it involved individuals trying to make meaning out of the loss through meaning-making (making sense of what happened and the cause of the death), or through benefit finding (consideration of the global significance of the loss of one's goals, and helping the family develop a greater appreciation of life). this meaning-making can come naturally for some, but many need direct intervention to "move on". support groups further information: support group support groups for bereaved individuals follow a diversity of patterns. many are organized purely as peer-to-peer groups such as local chapters of the compassionate friends, an international group for bereaved parents. other grief support groups are led by professionals, perhaps with the assistance of peers. some support groups deal with specific problems, such as learning to plan meals and cook for only for one person. cultural differences in grieving each culture specifies manners such as rituals, styles of dress, or other habits, as well as attitudes, in which the bereaved are encouraged or expected to take part. an analysis of non-western cultures suggests that beliefs about continuing ties with the deceased varies. in japan, maintenance of ties with the deceased is accepted and carried out through religious rituals. in the hopi of arizona, the women go into self-induced hallucinations where they conjure images of the deceased loved one to mourn and process their grief. different cultures grieve in different ways, but all have ways that are vital in healthy coping with the death of a loved one. the american family's approach to grieving was depicted in "the grief committee", by t. glen coughlin. the short story gives an inside look at how the american culture has learned to cope with the tribulations and difficulties of grief. the story is taught in the course, "the politics of mourning: grief management in a cross-cultural fiction" at columbia university. in those with cognitive impairment