Grief Processing and Alzheimer’s disease: The Case of Mrs. B

The emotional processing of grief is necessary to move forward with one’s life after a significant loss. However, emotional processing has been shown to be impaired in individuals with cognitive impairment, possibly due to degeneration of the underlying cognitive structures. Specifically in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research does suggest that the ability to interpret emotional stimuli, mostly negative, is impacted by cognitive decline, while the ability to identify positive emotions remains more accurate. There is also research to support an overall cognitive impact of suffering from complicated grief. Noteworthy, the question of grief processing in AD has yet to be explored thoroughly. In effect, does AD interfere with emotional processing in grief?