An adjustment disorder is an emotional or behavioral reaction to a stressful event or change in a person’s life. Adjustment disorders are common amongst children and teenagers. Read this article to learn more about adjustment disorders, including the characteristics, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments.
Overview
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, adjustment disorders are a reaction to an event. There is not a single direct cause between the stressful event and the reaction. Stressful events or changes in the life of children or adolescents may be a family move, parents’ divorce or separation, loss of a pet, etc., and the sudden illness or restriction to one’s life due to chronic illness may also cause an adjustment disorder.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms depend on the type of adjustment disorder one has, and can also vary from person to person. Generally, adjustment disorders affect how one feels and thinks about oneself and the world, and may also affect one’s actions or behaviors. Some of the common symptoms are listed below:
Feeling sad or hopeless
Frequent crying
Feeling stressed out
Have difficulties falling asleep
Lack of appetite
Have difficulties concentrating
Feeling overwhelmed easily
Intentionally withdrawing from social supports
Suicidal thoughts or behavior
The symptoms of adjustment disorders are associated with depressed mood or anxiety, or a combination of both.
Diagnosis
Through a detailed interview and evaluation, one’s detailed personal history of development, life events, emotions, behaviors, and the identified stressful event will contribute to the diagnosis of adjustment disorder. A child and adolescent psychiatrist or a qualified mental health professional is in charge of making the diagnosis.
Treatments
Based on one’s age, overall health and medical history, symptoms, etc., a child and adolescent psychiatrist or health care provider will decide on a treatment. The treatment may include individual psychotherapy using cognitive-behavioral approaches, family therapy, peer group therapy, or medicine.
Hope this article helped you learn more about adjustment disorders. Thanks for reading!
Written by: Benetta Wang
Sources:
“Adjustment Disorders.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/adjustment-disorders#:%7E:text=An%20adjustment%20disorder%20is%20an,three%20months%20of%20it%20happening. Accessed 29 May 2021.
“Adjustment Disorders - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, 25 Oct. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adjustment-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20355224.
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