Anticipatory grief: when grief begins before an anticipated loss. This often happens during hospice, prolonged chronic illnesses, or cancer cases.
Common grief: directly follows both the unexpected or expected loss. It can involve periods of intense emotions, feelings of normalcy, and erratic shifts in mood, thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors.
Unresolved or complex grief: long-standing grief that doesn’t seem to ease with time or may even worsen with time. This can involve feeling suicidal, being unable to stop thinking of the loss or experiencing prolonged emotional numbness. This type of grief can evolve into a debilitating state that may eventually require medical attention.