Prolonged Grief Duration — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

ModerateMood DisordersProlonged Grief DurationMRCPsych Paper B

A 42-year-old has persistent yearning and intense emotional pain following the death of their partner. The reaction causes marked functional impairment and clearly exceeds the expected social, cultural and religious norms for their context. According to ICD-11, what is the minimum time that must generally have elapsed since the bereavement before prolonged grief disorder can be diagnosed?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B — 6 months

Option B is correct. Under ICD-11, prolonged grief disorder involves persistent yearning for or preoccupation with the deceased, accompanied by intense emotional pain. The response must cause significant impairment, exceed the expected social, cultural or religious norms for the person’s context, and have persisted beyond a minimum period of approximately 6 months after the death. A longer period may be required where prolonged grieving remains culturally normative. Two weeks is associated with the duration criterion for a depressive episode, not prolonged grief disorder. One month is relevant to the duration threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder, while 3 months is not the ICD-11 threshold for prolonged grief. Twelve months is the adult duration threshold used by DSM-5-TR, making it the principal competing distractor.

Reference: NHS Education for Scotland, Prolonged Grief Disorder/Complicated Grief: What is it and how can we help?, ICD-11 Guidelines section, 2021. https://www.sad.scot.nhs.uk/media/16576/why-grief-gets-stuck-and-how-we-can-help-webinar-presentation-150421.pdf