Which statement about Prolonged Grief Disorder criteria is correct?

• A. Death occurred within last month
• B. Death occurred at least 12 months ago
• C. Since death, at least one symptom
• D. Symptoms not due to another disorder

Answer: (B)

The time since the loss is what this question is testing. Prolonged Grief Disorder is diagnosed when grief has persisted in a clinically significant way after the death, and the standard criterion for adults is that the death occurred at least 12 months ago. This duration helps separate normal, expected bereavement, which often improves over time, from a disorder with persistent, impairing symptoms.

Why the other statements don’t fit: dying within the last month would reflect acute or normal bereavement, not a prolonged disorder. Requiring only that there be at least one symptom is too vague—PGD involves a constellation of symptoms that are persistent and impair functioning, not just a single symptom. Saying symptoms aren’t due to another disorder is a general caveat, but it doesn’t specify the essential timing threshold that defines prolonged grief; the 12-month criterion is the defining feature in many diagnostic schemas.