The intense sorrow felt after the death of a beloved pet can be just as severe and long-lasting as the grief experienced for a human family member, according to a significant new study. The research provides scientific validation for the profound bonds people share with their animal companions and challenges current medical guidelines.
Survey Reveals Scale of Clinically Significant Pet Grief
A survey of 975 adults in the UK, published in the academic journal PLOS One, has found that people mourning a pet can suffer from prolonged grief disorder (PGD). This is a recognised mental health condition triggered by the death of a loved one, characterised by intense longing, despair, social difficulties, and a feeling that a part of oneself has died, lasting many months or even years.
The study's crucial finding was that 7.5% of people who had lost a pet met the full diagnostic criteria for PGD. This rate is strikingly similar to the proportion of people who develop the disorder after the death of a close friend. It was only marginally lower than the rates observed after bereavement for a grandparent (8.3%), a sibling (8.9%), or a partner (9.1%).
Call for Diagnostic Guidelines to Include Pet Bereavement
Currently, official diagnostic frameworks only permit a PGD diagnosis following the death of a person. The study's author, Professor Philip Hyland, a psychology expert at Maynooth University in Ireland, argues this must change. He states the research presents "consistent and compelling evidence" that grief for a pet is equally legitimate.
"The decision to exclude pet loss from the bereavement criterion for PGD can be viewed as not only scientifically misguided but also as callous," Hyland said. He pointed out that the symptoms of severe grief were identical, regardless of whether the loss was human or animal.
Shame and Isolation Despite Profound Sorrow
The research also highlighted a social stigma often attached to pet loss. Approximately one in five respondents who had experienced both a pet and a human loss stated that the death of their pet was the more difficult experience. This occurs despite many people feeling shame, embarrassment, and isolation when openly expressing such grief, fearing they will not be taken seriously.
Given that around half of UK adults own pets, whose lifespans are inevitably shorter, the study estimates that one in every twelve cases of PGD in the country is caused by the death of a pet. The highest rates of PGD were still associated with the loss of a parent (11.2%) or a child (21.3%).
Professor Hyland concluded that if his findings are replicated, it would be scientifically indefensible to deny a diagnosis to someone simply because "the deceased was not a member of the homo sapiens species." He has formally recommended that medical guidelines be expanded to include pet loss as a recognised trigger for prolonged grief disorder.
