Adjustment disorders – Definition – Description – Symptoms – Treatment

Adjustment disorders – Definition
An adjustment disorder is a debilitating reaction, usually lasting less than six months, to a stressful event or situation. It is not the same thing as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which usually occurs in reaction to a life-threatening event and can be longer lasting.

Adjustment disorders Description
An adjustment disorder usually begins within three months of a stressful event, and ends within six months after the stressor stops. There are many different subtypes of adjustment disorders, including adjustment disorder with: 
* depression
 * anxiety
 * mixed anxiety and depression
 * conduct disturbances
 * mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct
 * unspecified

Adjustment disorders Symptoms
Adjustment disorders are very common and can affect anyone, regardless of gender, age, race, or lifestyle. By definition, an adjustment disorder is short lived, unless a person is faced with a chronic recurring crisis (such as a child who is repeatedly abused). In such cases, the adjustment disorder may last more than six months.

The signs and symptoms of adjustment disorders vary from person to person. The symptoms you have may be very different from those of someone else with an adjustment disorder. But for everyone, symptoms of an adjustment disorder begin within three months of a stressful event in your life.

Emotional symptoms of adjustment disorders Signs and symptoms of adjustment disorder may affect how you feel and think about yourself or life, including:
    * Sadness
    * Hopelessness
    * Lack of enjoyment
    * Crying spells
    * Nervousness
    * Thoughts of suicide
    * Anxiety
    * Worry
    * Desperation
    * Trouble sleeping
    * Difficulty concentrating
    * Feeling overwhelmed

Behavioral symptoms of adjustment disorders.
Signs and symptoms of adjustment disorder may affect your actions or behavior, such as:

    * Fighting
    * Reckless driving
    * Ignoring bills
    * Avoiding family or friends
    * Poor school or work performance
    * Skipping school
    * Vandalism

Length of symptoms
How long you have symptoms of an adjustment disorder also can vary:

    * Six months or less (acute). In these cases, symptoms may go away on their own, especially if you actively follow self-care measures.
    * Longer than six months (chronic). In these cases, symptoms continue to bother you and disrupt your life. Professional treatment can help symptoms improve and prevent the condition from continuing to get worse.

When to see a doctor
Sometimes the stressful change in your life goes away, and your symptoms of adjustment disorder get better on their own. But often, the stressful event remains a part of your life. Or a new stressful situation comes up, and you face the same emotional struggles all over again.

You may think that an adjustment disorder is less serious than other mental health problems because it involves stress, but that's not necessarily true. Adjustment disorders can affect your whole life. You may feel so overwhelmed, stressed and hopeless that you can't go about your normal daily activities. You may skip work or school, for instance, or not pay your bills. You may drive dangerously or pick fights.

People with adjustment disorders also may abuse alcohol or drugs, engage in violence, and have thoughts of suicide. If you or a loved one has suicidal thoughts or is seriously considering hurting someone, seek help immediately. Talk to your doctor if you're having trouble getting through each day. You can get treatment to help cope better with stressful events and feel better about life again.

Adjustment disorders Treatment
Psychotherapy (counseling) is the treatment of choice for adjustment disorders, since the symptoms are an understandable reaction to a specific stress. The type of therapy depends on the mental health expert, but it usually is short-term treatment that focuses on resolving the immediate problem. Therapy usually will help clients:
* develop coping skills
* understand how the stressor has affected their lives
* develop alternate social or recreational activities
Family or couples therapy may be helpful in some cases. Medications are not usually used to treat adjustment disorders, although sometimes a few days or
weeks of an anti-anxiety drug can control anxiety or sleeping problems. Self-help groups aimed at a specific problem (such as recovering from divorce or job loss) can be extremely
helpful to people suffering from an adjustment disorder. Social support, which is usually an important part of self-help groups, can lead to a quicker recovery.

Adjustment disorders Prognosis
Most people recover completely from adjustment disorders, especially if they had no previous history of mental problems, and have a stable home life with strong social support. People with progressive or cyclic disorders (such as multiple sclerosis) may experience an adjustment disorder with each exacerbation period. When tumors develop in the adrenal gland, they secrete excess amounts of these hormones. A cancer that arises in the adrenal cortex is called an adrenocortical carcinoma and can produce high blood pressure, weight gain, excess body hair, weakening of the bones and diabetes. A cancer in the adrenal medulla is called a pheochromocytoma and can cause high blood pressure, headache, palpitations, and excessive perspiration. Although these cancers can happen at any
age, most occur in young adults.

Adjustment disorders Diagnosis
Diagnosis for adrenal cancer usually begins with blood tests to evaluate the hormone levels. These hormones include epinephrine, cortisol, and testosterone. It also includes magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography scans to determine the extent of the disease. Urine and blood tests can be done to detect the high levels of hormone secreted by the tumor.

 

Resources
BOOKS
Luther, Suniya G., Jacob A. Burack, and Dante Cicchetti.
Developmental Psychopathology: Perspectives on
Adjustment, Risk, and Disorder.
http://www.mayoclinic.com