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Understanding what you may be experiencing—and when additional support can help
After the death of a child, grief can affect nearly every part of your life. Sadness, exhaustion, withdrawal, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep or appetite, and losing interest in things you once enjoyed can all leave you wondering:
Is this grief? Am I depressed? How would I know the difference?
When Grief Feels Like Depression was created to help grieving parents better understand what they may be experiencing without asking them to diagnose themselves.
This compassionate Catholic resource explores how grief and depression can overlap, some of the patterns that may distinguish them, questions that can help you consider how significantly grief is affecting your daily life, and signs that it may be time to seek additional professional support.
You will also learn about prolonged grief, when specialized grief care may be helpful, and why seeking mental-health support is not a failure of faith. The resource includes guidance for finding appropriate support as well as crisis information for times when immediate help is needed.
Most importantly, this resource reminds you that you do not have to determine on your own whether what you are carrying is “bad enough” to deserve help. Sometimes the next step is simply allowing someone knowledgeable and compassionate to help you discern what you need.
© 2026 Red Bird Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved.
This purchase grants one individual parish a nonexclusive, nontransferable license to print and use this resource for pastoral care and ministry within that parish.
The purchasing parish may print copies of this resource as needed for families directly served by that parish and for approved parish leaders or volunteers providing bereavement support.
This license does not permit the digital file to be copied, emailed, uploaded, posted online, shared, reproduced, or distributed to another parish, mission, school, ministry site, or organization, including those within the same diocese. The resource may not be resold, altered, republished, or incorporated into another program without written permission from Red Bird Ministries.
Each parish must obtain its own license. Dioceses wishing to provide this resource across multiple parishes must obtain a separate diocesan license from Red Bird Ministries.
Purchase of this resource grants permission for use only; all copyrights and ownership remain with Red Bird Ministries, Inc.
Understanding what you may be experiencing—and when additional support can help
After the death of a child, grief can affect nearly every part of your life. Sadness, exhaustion, withdrawal, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep or appetite, and losing interest in things you once enjoyed can all leave you wondering:
Is this grief? Am I depressed? How would I know the difference?
When Grief Feels Like Depression was created to help grieving parents better understand what they may be experiencing without asking them to diagnose themselves.
This compassionate Catholic resource explores how grief and depression can overlap, some of the patterns that may distinguish them, questions that can help you consider how significantly grief is affecting your daily life, and signs that it may be time to seek additional professional support.
You will also learn about prolonged grief, when specialized grief care may be helpful, and why seeking mental-health support is not a failure of faith. The resource includes guidance for finding appropriate support as well as crisis information for times when immediate help is needed.
Most importantly, this resource reminds you that you do not have to determine on your own whether what you are carrying is “bad enough” to deserve help. Sometimes the next step is simply allowing someone knowledgeable and compassionate to help you discern what you need.
© 2026 Red Bird Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved.
This purchase grants one individual parish a nonexclusive, nontransferable license to print and use this resource for pastoral care and ministry within that parish.
The purchasing parish may print copies of this resource as needed for families directly served by that parish and for approved parish leaders or volunteers providing bereavement support.
This license does not permit the digital file to be copied, emailed, uploaded, posted online, shared, reproduced, or distributed to another parish, mission, school, ministry site, or organization, including those within the same diocese. The resource may not be resold, altered, republished, or incorporated into another program without written permission from Red Bird Ministries.
Each parish must obtain its own license. Dioceses wishing to provide this resource across multiple parishes must obtain a separate diocesan license from Red Bird Ministries.
Purchase of this resource grants permission for use only; all copyrights and ownership remain with Red Bird Ministries, Inc.
