Does the concept of a broken heart have some grounding in reality? Can grief affect the body in ways that necessitate medical care and may even be life-threatening? Scholars from diverse disciplines report on research and explore key issues in this comprehensive review of scientific knowledge on the consequences of losing a loved person through death. Detailed coverage is given to the phenomenology of grief, distinctions between normal and pathological grief, and measurement and assessment techniques. Current theories are reviewed and underlying physiological mechanisms are surveyed, which...