Do you know what an adjustment disorder is? Often, after experiencing a problem (loss of employment, serious illness, divorce, financial problems, etc. ) or major changes in your life (marriage, birth, change of residence, etc. ) you feel overwhelmed. , irritated, sad or has symptoms of anxiety.
If you feel that way after these stressful events, this is quite normal; However, if these symptoms significantly interfere with your daily life, you may have an adjustment disorder.
- Adaptive disorder is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).
- In the category of trauma and stress disorders.
- Trauma and stress-related disorders are disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event explicitly appears as a diagnosis.
- Criteria.
The disorders included in this category are
Psychological discomfort after experiencing a traumatic or stressful event is quite variable. In some cases, symptoms may be based on fear and anxiety. However, many people who have been exposed to a traumatic or stressful event have symptoms such as discouragement, anger, hostility, or dissociative symptoms.
Due to this diversity of symptoms, after exposure to a traumatic or stressful event, the aforementioned disorders were grouped into the category of “Trauma and stressor-related disorders. ” Some people get over disappointments faster than others. When adaptation to these changes lasts more than 3 months and recovery is very difficult, it may be a case of adjustment disorder.
The central feature of this disorder is the presence of emotional symptoms or behaviors in response to an identifiable stressor, which can be a unique event, such as the end of a relationship, but there may also be several stressors, such as problems at work. marriage.
Stressors (or problems, to use a more common name) can occur several times (such as transient seizures in a company or dissatisfaction with sex). They can also appear continuously (such as a persistent illness or live in an area of high crime). .
These stressors can only affect you, an entire family and larger groups or community (for example, a natural disaster). Some of these problems can accompany the development of certain events (going to school, leaving the family home, get married, be a mother, etc. ).
Adaptation problems can also occur as a result of a loved one’s death. This occurs when the intensity, quality, or persistence of grieving reactions exceeds what would normally be expected. Similarly, adjustment disorders are associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts and more. Suicides.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), the following diagnostic criteria must be met:
A- Development of emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to one or more identifiable stressors, which occur within three months of the onset of the stressful.
B- These symptoms or behaviors are clinically significant. This is attested by one or two features:
C- Stress-related impairment does not meet the criteria of another mental disorder and is not simply an exacerbation of a pre-existing mental disorder.
D- The symptoms do not represent a normal grief
E- Once the stressful or its consequences are gone, the symptoms do not last more than six months.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), the types of adaptation disorders are:
DSM-V also allows you to specify whether the adjustment disorder is acute (if it lasts less than 6 months) or persistent (6 months or more).
After suffering any problems or stressors in our daily lives, we begin to experience symptoms within 3 months, once the problem is resolved, the symptoms do not last more than 6 months.
If the problem is an acute event (e. g. , being expelled from work), the onset of symptoms is usually immediate within a few days and the duration is relatively short (no more than a few months). If the problem or its consequences persist, the adaptation disorder may persist and become chronic or persistent.
Adaptation disorder is very common, although most can vary widely, depending on the population studied and the evaluation methods used. The percentage of people receiving outpatient mental health treatment diagnosed with an adjustment disorder ranges from 5 to 20%.
In the context of a psychiatric hospital visit, it is usually the most common diagnosis and usually reaches 50%.
People with disadvantaged lives are subject to high levels of stressors and may have an increased risk of this disorder.
At the same time, the cultural context of the person in the diagnosis should be taken into account, it is necessary to investigate whether their response to the stressful is not inadequate or whether the associated psychological discomfort is more or less significant than expected.
First of all, it’s best to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, if there’s a problem that overwhelms you, you can follow these recommendations:
If your problems don’t resolve or you can’t control your symptoms, talk to your trusted doctor or psychologist. Psychologists can help you, even if there are no problems.