Is grief a disease?: Why Engel posed the question

Abstract

In 1961, George Engel (1913–1999), founder of the innovative general theory of illness and healing known as the biopsychosocial model, wrote a classic paper entitled “Is Grief a Disease? A Challenge for Medical Research.” This article fuelled debate about the status of grief as a medical condition, with Engel’s question frequently taken as the starting point. But what did Engel really say: Was he actually arguing that grief is a disease? Has his position been accurately represented? Given that grief complications are currently under research investigation for potential diagnostic categorization as a mental disorder, it seems timely to reassess Engel’s historic contribution. I outline Engel’s arguments and illustrate the ensuing impact and interpretations of his position. I end with a personal communication from Engel, in which he elaborated why he posed this question, his purpose in writing the article, and his reason for considering that his “provocative title misfired.”