What are Adjustment Disorders?
An adjustment disorder is a person’s emotional or behavioural response to a stressful event or change in their lives. The reaction is deemed an abnormal or excessive response within three months after the incident or change. A family relocation, the parents’ divorce or separation, the loss of a pet, or the birth of a sibling can all be stressful events or changes in your child’s or adolescent’s life. An adjustment reaction may arise from a sudden sickness or a constraint in your child’s life due to persistent disease.
While adjustment problems can occur in adults, they are more commonly identified in children and adolescents.
Signs and symptoms of adjustment disorder
In all adjustment disorders, the response to the stressor is greater than what would be anticipated. Furthermore, the response should seriously impair social, occupational, or educational performance. Furthermore, age can have an impact: There are differences in the symptoms experienced, how long they remain, how powerful they are, and what influence they have. Adolescent adjustment disorder symptoms might be more behavioural, such as acting out. Adults with adjustment difficulties have higher depressed symptoms.
The category of major symptoms experienced determines one of six subtypes of adjustment disorder. The following are the most prevalent symptoms of each adjustment disorder subtype. However, each individual will experience symptoms in a unique way.
Depressed Mood
- Depressed mood
- Tearfulness
- Feelings of hopelessnes
Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Worry
- Jitteriness
- Fear of separation from major attachment figures
Disturbance of Conduct
- Violation of the rights of others
- Violation of society’s norms and rules
What are the causes of Adjustment Disorders?
Although no single reason for adjustment disorder has been established by experts, there are several elements that might raise your chance of getting this ailment.
Adjustment problems can occur at any age, but are most frequent in children. This syndrome can be triggered by any stressful incident or set of events. Adults commonly experience the following stressors.
Causes for Adults
- Death of a loved one
- Divorce or relationship problems
- Financial difficulties
- Getting married
- Having a baby
- Illness or other health issues in yourself or a loved one
- Living in a high crime neighborhood
- Loss of employment
- Moving to a new place
- Natural disaster
- Retirement
Causes for teens/children
- A new brother or sister
- Death of a pet
- Parental divorce or separation
- Entering a new school or leaving school
- Leaving home for the first time
- Sexuality issues (such as uncertainties related to sexual orientation)
Treatment of Adjustment Disorders
Adjustment disorder is extremely curable and frequently improves with treatment. Whatever the stressor, counselling can help you understand how and why it has affected your life. Therapy will also assist you in developing stronger coping abilities and stress management skills in order to deal with stressful circumstances.
Psychotherapy will take several forms depending on the patient. Because adjustment issues are typically brief, short-term treatment, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), is frequently favored.
Some people may benefit from family therapy as well, particularly if the condition is familial or the patient is an adolescent. Couples counselling may be beneficial if the disease is interfering with a love connection.
Here are a few pointers to remember when dealing with an adjustment problem.
- Avoid unwanted stress: Sometimes stress is unavoidable. Though you may not be able to avoid all stressful circumstances, doing everything to lessen your stress is beneficial. For example, if you are about to undergo a major life transition, avoid taking on more obligations that may increase your anxiety.
- Participate in a support group: It might be beneficial to discuss your concerns with others who have been through a similar experience. Support groups cover a wide range of stressors, from divorce to the loss of a loved one.
- Make use of your support network.
Types of Adjustment Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the American Psychiatric Association handbook for diagnosing mental disorders, identifies six subtypes:
- With depressed mood
- With anxiety
- With mixed anxiety and depressed mood
- With disturbance of conduct
- With mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct
- Unspecified
