Adjustment disorder

This is a short-term, stress-related psychological disorder that can follow a significant life event. Typically, a person’s reaction is stronger, or more prolonged, than expected for the type of event.

What is it?

Any stressful event can trigger anxiety, difficulty sleeping, sadness, tension, and inability to focus. However, if an individual finds an event especially hard, their reaction can be stronger and persist for months. In a child, the disorder can follow family conflicts, problems at school, and hospitalization. The child may become withdrawn and/or disruptive, and complain of unexplained pain or illness. Adjustment disorder is not the same as PTSD or ASR because the stress trigger is not as severe. It normally resolves within months as a person learns how to adapt to a situation and/or the stressor is removed. There is no way to predict whether one person is more likely to develop adjustment disorder than another. It comes down to how they respond to an event and their personal history. A GP initially assesses whether
an individual’s symptoms may be due to another condition, such as ASR, before referring them for a psychological assessment.

Causes and outcome

Some life events are known to lead to adjustment difficulties of varying severity. Examples are the death of a friend or family member, divorce or relationship breakdown, moving, illness or injury, financial worries, or job stress.

SYMPTOMS BEGIN WITHIN 3 MONTHS

The onset can be
traced to an event and symptoms are more severe than expected. They include defiant,
impulsive behavior; 3 MONTHS
sleeplessness; crying; feeling sad and
hopeless; anxiety; and muscle tension.

SYMPTOMS RESOLVE IN 6 MONTHS

With therapy and removal of the
stressor, a person can learn to turn
negative thoughts
into healthy actions to change how they respond to stress.

TREATMENT

❯ Psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and/or family or group therapies to help identify and respond to stressors.

❯ Antidepressants to lessen symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia, along with a psychotherapy.