Talks about the person as if they were still here
Months after the funeral, she says her husband likes his tea strong and will want to see the new kitchen. At dinner she sets his place and talks to his chair.
Rule out first
A habit of speech, since the present tense slips out for months after a death. A faith or culture where the dead stay part of the family, with an altar, offerings or a place at the table. Dementia or memory problems, where the death itself may be forgotten.
What could explain it
Continuing bonds (Klass, Silverman and Nickman): Asked, she says plainly that he died. Talking to him keeps a bond, and it sits beside an ordinary life.
Denial: Asked directly, she dodges or gets upset, and her plans assume he will be back.
Prolonged grief disorder (ICD-11, DSM-5-TR): A year or more on, she still can't take in that he died. Longing and disbelief fill most of her days.
Ambiguous loss (Boss): There was no body, or he is missing, so for her the death was never proven.
Psychosis: She is sure he is physically there: seen, heard, answering back, and nothing shakes it. Rare. Sensing a dead person near is common in grief and on its own points to nothing worse.
A next move
Ask her about the death. A plain answer points to continuing bonds. A dodge points to denial. Disbelief that fills the days, a year or more on, points to prolonged grief. No body or no proof points to ambiguous loss. A fixed belief that he is physically in the room needs a doctor's view.
If it’s you
Who that I've lost do I still talk to in my head, and what do I tell them?