The Hour

With the recent death of singer Amy Winehouse, the public felt great sadness and in essence went through a period of mourning for the young star.

In a similar vein, this also happened when both Michael Jackson and Princess Diana passed away, so is this normal to feel this way for people we've never met?

According to Dr Alex Yellowless this is perfectly normal and of course we are bound to feel sad, as he explains: “Sometimes we often feel a close connection to public figures and celebrities, this is normal. We build a relationship with this person even though we never met them. We grieve in the same way as if we did know them.”

There are five main stages to the grieving process:

The first stage is denial, where we ask why is this happening and surely this cannot be happening?

The second stage is anger, where we often feel blame and ask ourselves why is happening this to me?

After the first two stages, the third stage is bargaining, which can sometimes often lead to us praying and wishing for the lost one to come back to us.

The fourth stage of the grieving process we feel is depression, at this stage the person can feel helpless, frustrated and often suicidal thoughts.

Acceptance is the final stage of grieving, this is part where we realise that this is no ones fault, we can finally move on with our lives and accept the fact that this person has passed.

Dr Alex Yellowlees is the Medical Director of the Priory Hospital, an independent acute psychiatric hospital in Glasgow that specialises in treating mental health issues.  The Priory offer treatment on a range of issues from drug addiction to self-confidence.

For more advice and information on dealing with grief and death, please visit The Hour website and Alex Yellowlee's website.