The length of time spent in a period of bereavement is dependent upon the intensity of the attachment to the deceased, and how much time was involved in anticipation of the loss. Each type of loss implies experience of some type of deprivation. As a family goes through a cancer illness, many losses are experienced, and each prompts its own grief reaction. Grief reactions can be psychological, physical, social, or emotional. Psychological reactions can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and despair.
Physical reactions can include sleep difficulties, appetite changes, somatic complaints, or illness.
Social reactions can include feelings about taking care of others in the family, the desire to see or not to see family or friends, or the desire to return to work. As with bereavement, grief processes are dependent on the nature of the relationship with the person lost, the situation surrounding the loss, and one's attachment to the person. The process of incorporating the experience of loss into one's ongoing life is a part of mourning. To emancipate from the deceased, a person must modify the emotional energy invested in the lost person. This does not mean that the deceased was not loved or is forgotten, but that the mourner is able to turn to others for emotional satisfaction.