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Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

Developing Resilience to Ease Anguish in Mourning (DREAM)

Mature adult hands set in second set of hands

The goal of our transdisciplinary program is to:

  1. Determine psychosocial and neurobiological factors (or biological markers) that can complicate acute grief following the loss of a loved one
  2. Advance our neurobiological understanding of prolonged grief disorder and bereavement-related depression
  3. Identify interventions that may prevent the development of grief-related complications
  4. Identify treatments that can improve health outcomes in those who experience prolonged grief disorder and bereavement-related depression
  5. Share with the community resources and information regarding bereavement and its consequences
  6. Build academic-community partnerships in Wisconsin and beyond to improve care for the bereaved
  7. Educate and train both health professionals and lay public on (a) acute and integrated grief; (b) diagnosing and treating prolonged grief disorder and other grief-related complications; and (c) strategies to prevent grief-related complications.

Program Director's Message | Joseph S. Goveas, MD

Welcome to the 黑料官网 DREAM Program

Experiencing the death of a loved one is inevitable, and grief is a natural response. Most acutely grieving adults are resilient and recover their pre-loss functioning within a year. However, a significant minority develop complications such as prolonged grief disorder (or complicated grief) and bereavement-related depression. The development of these complications is especially high following the death of a life partner or a child. The public health consequences of prolonged grief disorder and bereavement-related depression are enormous, and include declines in physical health and cognition, poor quality of life, functional impairment, premature mortality, and an increased risk of suicide.

Despite the magnitude of this problem, we cannot distinguish those grieving individuals who are resilient and will successfully transition to integrated grief from those who are prone to develop prolonged grief disorder or bereavement-related depression. Thus, it is not known who among the grieving individuals warrants early intervention, what treatments are most effective, and when to initiate treatment.

DREAM is a transdisciplinary program that examines factors that can complicate acute grief following the loss of a loved one, with the goal of identifying interventions that prevent grief-related complications. We also aim to identify treatments that can improve long-term health outcomes in those experiencing prolonged grief disorder and bereavement-related depression.

View Joseph S. Goveas Bio

Meet our team

Joseph S. Goveas, MD

Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Professor, Institute for Health & Humanity
Vice-Chair and Director, Geriatric Psychiatry
jgoveas@mcw.edu | (414) 955-8970

Current Research Studies

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Emotion Regulation in Complicated Grief

Sponsor: The National Institute of Mental Health
Principal Investigator: Joseph S. Goveas, MD

This novel study is expected to provide evidence that specific abnormalities in the emotion regulation brain circuitry that are associated with complicated grief symptom trajectories in individuals with acute grief. These brain circuit abnormalities could, in the future, serve as neurobiological indicators (or markers) of prolonged grief disorder (or complicated grief). Such biological markers could also be used to test the efficacies of treatment or prevention strategies that aim to prevent the development of prolonged grief disorder in acutely grieving individuals.

Learn more about this research study (PDF)

Eligibility

  • Individuals within 12 months following the death of a loved one
  • Also, healthy nonbereaved adults
  • You must be age 50 and older
  • You must be able to undergo an MRI

What will happen if I take part in the study?

  • You will be in this research project for about 18 months.
  • You will complete multiple visits during the course of your study participation.
  • You will receive clinical evaluations, physical/neurological examinations, cognitive (memory) testing, MRI brain scans, optional blood draws, and will complete questionnaires.

Benefits of participating

  • You will be contributing to our knowledge of how changes in the brain in grieving individuals may lead to the development of prolonged grief disorder.
  • The brain imaging measurements (biomarkers) may in the future help us identify treatment strategies that prevent the development of prolonged grief disorder in grieving individuals.

Interested in becoming a Participant?

Contact Stacy Claesges, Research Coordinator, to become a participant or with questions.
sclaesge@mcw.edu | (414) 955-8970

Iyengar Yoga as a Probe of Prolonged Grief Disorder Neurobiology
Sponsor: Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW)

Principal Investigator: Joseph S. Goveas, MD

The purpose of this project is to understand features in the brain and measurements in the blood that are associated with prolon