Adjustment reactions and bereavement in the elderly

In this presentation, adjustment reactions are considered as a maladaptive reaction to the loss of a previous state of life and are differentiated from bereavement, a psychological and emotional response, and from Major Depression and other Psychiatric disorders. Bereavement and old age are approached as the emotionally charged factors which both are characterized by the common element of loss, lead to a crisis, demanding changes and setting off reactions in order to achieve a more functional adjustment.