Depression Learning

Adjustment Disorder

An adjustment disorder as referred to in psychology can be termed as a mental disorder in response to an identifiable stressor or groups of stressors that can cause emotional or behavioral symptoms that seemingly cannot be classified in any other category. Although adjustment disorder has many similar symptoms and signs as other mental anxiety disorders in order to be classified adjustment disorder it has to have at least one or more stressors. It also differs from post-traumatic disorder and acute stress disorder as they both need more severe stressors. Episodes of adjustment disorder are classified either acute or chronic depending on the duration of the episode …normally if it is more or less that of six months. There are at least six recognized types of adjustment disorder.
Stressors

A stressor as it applies to mental disorders is an event or happening that is considered of an unusual or serious nature that either a single individual or a group of individuals experiences. Stressors that affect adjustment disorder do not, although they can be, severe in nature. An example of this is a young teenage couple breaking up, a poor report card or a transfer to a different school. These particular examples apply to teens and adolescents who this disorder seems to affect quite often. It is also believe that in adjustment disorder that if the stressors are recurrent of happen quite frequently there is a greater risk of it becoming an adjustment disorder. Something else to be noted is that the pathogenic potential for a person to develop an adjustment disorder depends on the person’s perception of how bad the stressor is.

Risk Factors

As in most mental disorders various risk factors may increase the risk and likelihood of someone developing adjustment disorder and could include: Gender, Age, Ego development, Past experiences, and Coping skills

Coping

The extent of emotional or behavioral symptoms manifested in adjustment disorder is how well a person is at using previous learned coping strategies. Four of the most common coping categories are:

• 1. practical and physical methods- such methods as problem solving, restraint and waiting for the “right” time are employed to deal with stressors in this method
• 2. cognitive or internal- in this method such strategies as avoidance, minimalizing, distancing and trying to make the negative look positive
• 3. situational and environmental- this method uses the resources available in the community such as social support groups
• 4. The fourth category involves the individuals orientations and personal approaches to the stressors

Treatments for Adjustment Disorder

The most common and simplest treatment for this disorder and often the most successful is talking to others about their problems. Using such venues as counseling and psychotherapy (including such things as crisis intervention, family therapy and group therapy), the individual is encouraged to talk. Often discussing their fears, anxieties, rage, helpless or hopeless feelings is often a first step to a cure. Antidepressants and other mood medications may also be used in more severe cases.

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