What is Adjustment Disorder?
Just like the name suggests, Adjustment disorder is classified by people having difficulty responding and adjusting to a stressful situation. Anyone could have Adjustment disorder, although it seems to be most prevalent in children and young adults. There are six major Adjustment disorders:
- Adjustment disorder with anxiety
- Adjustment disorder with depression
- Adjustment disorder with depression and anxiety
- Adjustment disorder with disturbance of conduct
- Adjustment disorder with disturbance of emotions and conduct
- Adjustment disorder unspecified
Suicide and Adjustment Disorder
Up to one fifth of suicides in young adults could be the result of an Adjustment disorder. However, suicide is a risk to any one with the disorder. Suicide is less common among Adjustment disorder sufferers than it is for people with depression.
Diagnosing Adjustment Disorder
Usually the factor for diagnosing Adjustment disorder is a life stressor which may have happened in the past three months. The stressor could be a number of things, most often it’s grief over the loss of a close friend or family member.
To confirm the diagnosis the patient needs to have the following criteria:
- Has undertaken a psychological evaluation.
- Has been effected by a psychological stressor in the past three months.
- Isn’t suffering from any underlying mental illnesses.
- Has symptoms which seem disproportionate from the event.
Treating Adjustment Disorder
In most cases the symptoms of Adjustment disorder don’t persist for much longer than six months. In some cases, if the stressor continues then the disorder will also continue.
Psychotherapy is the most popular treatment for people suffering from Adjustment disorder. For those patients who also have anxiety and depression, a course of anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication may be prescribed. They can also be very effecting in easing the symptoms.