A person can help prevent abnormal grieving by seeking help from a healthcare professional. Family and friends can help by being supportive of the grieving person.
A person will often mourn the death of a child or spouse longer than other losses. It is not unusual for survivors to grieve over this kind of loss for the rest of their lives. Some people are not able to get on with their lives following a loss.
A person who is not able to complete the grieving process may not be capable of showing love to others. An example would be a parent who has lost a child and still has other children. The other children may be neglected.