Adjustment Disorder: When We Struggle to Adapt to Change

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsWhat Is an Adjustment Disorder With Anxiety?CausesCan You Have Both Depression and Adjustment Disorder?DiagnosisTreatmentCoping

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

What Is an Adjustment Disorder With Anxiety?

Causes

Can You Have Both Depression and Adjustment Disorder?

Diagnosis

Treatment

Coping

Close

For more than 50 years, clinicians have been using the term to describe individuals who are struggling to deal with a particular stressful situation or ongoing circumstance that causes distress.

Adjustment disorders are among the most commonly diagnosed mental health issues and they may be diagnosed in children, adolescents, and adults. Most studies report about 1% of the population may have an adjustment disorder at any given time.

Adjustment Disorder Symptoms

The symptoms must not persist for more than six months after the stressor has ended. They must also be out of proportion for the person’s culture and cannot represent normalbereavement. The disturbance also must not meet criteria for another mental disorder (likedepressionoranxiety).

Here are some examples of times when an adjustment disorder diagnosis may be warranted:

Adjustment disorders can stem from a variety of stressful situations and experiences. Some of them may be single events, like a natural disaster, changing jobs, moving to a new city, or getting married. At other times, adjustment disorders stem from ongoing difficulties, like the stress associated with launching a business or moving away to college.

It’s not always clear why some individuals adjust to stressful circumstances more easily than others. Even when an entire family or group of children are exposed to the same stressful situation, some may develop adjustment disorders while others don’t.

While any stressful life circumstance can place you at risk of developing an adjustment disorder, the way you cope with the stress plays a role in whether you develop an adjustment disorder. Additionally, these factors may also impact your adjustment:

Can You Have Both Depression and Adjustment Disorder?Yes. In fact, pre-existing mental health issues like depression and anxiety may place you at a higher risk of developing an adjustment disorder.

Yes. In fact, pre-existing mental health issues like depression and anxiety may place you at a higher risk of developing an adjustment disorder.

There isn’t a specific test used to diagnose adjustment disorders. Instead, a physician or mental health professional will conduct an interview to assess your symptoms.

A mental health professional may ask you to complete some forms or questionnaires so information can be gathered efficiently. You may also be interviewed about your symptoms and the stressful life experience you encountered (you might not recognize a stressful life experience causing the adjustment disorder).

The clinician will use the DSM-5 to determine if you meet the criteria for an adjustment disorder based on the information you provided.

Adjustment Disorder Treatment

Many people with adjustment disorders find that treatment helps ease their distress and assists them in moving past a stressful event in a more productive, helpful way. Treatment often consists of talk therapy, medication, or a combination of the two.

Talk Therapy

Talk therapyis typically the preferred course of treatment for an adjustment disorder. The type of therapy used may depend on the therapist’s expertise and the individual’s needs. In general, talk therapy may provide emotional support, assist with identifying healthy coping skills, teach stress management strategies, and help you establish healthy habits.

If you’re the parent or partner of someone with an adjustment disorder, you may be invited to attend therapy as well. Family therapy may teach you the best way to support an individual who is experiencing an adjustment disorder.

Medication

Medication may be used to address depression or anxiety that accompanies an adjustment disorder. Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication may only be needed for a short time but make sure to speak with your physician before adjusting any dosages or discontinuing any medications.

If you notice you aren’t bouncing back from a stressful event as well as you might like, you can take steps to improve your resilience and help you feel better. These strategies may help you cope with the adjustment issues you’re experiencing:

If you’re struggling to feel better on your own, reach out to a mental health professional who can assist you in finding strategies that help you feel better.

Adaptation in Piaget’s Theory of Development

1 SourceVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Maercker A, Forstmeier S, Pielmaier L, Spangenberg L, Brähler E, Glaesmer H.Adjustment disorders: prevalence in a representative nationwide survey in Germany.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2012;47(11):1745-1752. doi:10.1007/s00127-012-0493-xAdditional ReadingDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2017.

1 Source

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Maercker A, Forstmeier S, Pielmaier L, Spangenberg L, Brähler E, Glaesmer H.Adjustment disorders: prevalence in a representative nationwide survey in Germany.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2012;47(11):1745-1752. doi:10.1007/s00127-012-0493-xAdditional ReadingDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2017.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Maercker A, Forstmeier S, Pielmaier L, Spangenberg L, Brähler E, Glaesmer H.Adjustment disorders: prevalence in a representative nationwide survey in Germany.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2012;47(11):1745-1752. doi:10.1007/s00127-012-0493-x

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2017.

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