Adjustment disorder is a stress-related emotional illness that is prompted by events, circumstances, and other influences that cause continued distress or trauma. It can cause depression and anxiety, behavioral changes, and difficulty working normally in all areas of a person’s life. If you care about someone who has gone through a stressful time and is not adjusting well, help them however you can, including getting at a diagnosis and treatment. Psychological Therapy and medication can help lighten symptoms and provide better surviving solution for stress.
If you have a family member, partner, or friend surviving poorly with stress or trauma, they may have adjustment disorder. This is not a permanent condition, but it can be draining. They need your support and help. Study more about the condition in order to be sympathetic. Get-up-and-go for treatment; help them lessen stress in their lives; engage them in healthy lifestyle choices; and keep your loved one active in positive and caring social circles. With your care and backing, along with treatment, they will get better.
What Is Adjustment Disorder?
If you have a loved one with adjustment disorder it means they have experienced something very stressful or possibly even traumatic. This mental illness is triggered by stressful, difficult life situations. Not everyone who goes through difficult times will develop this condition, however, and what triggers it can vary by individual. Some examples include:
The end of a vital relationship
Job loss and resulting financial problems
Living with a chronic illness
Losing a loved one
Being assaulted or mistreated in another way
Often there are multiple sources of stress that overwhelm an individual and lead to an inability to cope in a healthful way. Someone struggling to cope and who may be diagnosed with adjustment disorder may show a number of symptoms:
Depression, sadness, hopelessness, crying
Anxiety, nervousness, excessive worrying
Lack of appetite and weight loss
A sense of being overwhelmed or buried by stress
Unusual behavioral changes
Social withdrawal
Inability to focus on tasks
Avoiding responsibilities
Suicidal thoughts
Adjustment disorder is identified when someone has experienced a great deal of stress or a trauma and has a reaction out of proportion to the situation. They cannot cope well and are unable to function normally, experiencing challenges at work or home. This can last up to six months.
How to support Someone with Adjustment Disorder
Adjustment disorder is usually temporary, but it can also be devastating and activate a number of serious complications. It makes normal life not just hard, but unbearable. Someone you care about with this disorder is probably feeling overwhelmed, desperate, scared, and depressed.
Your loved one is experiencing significant distress, so be there to provide positive support. You can support them in several ways, but most importantly help them get into treatment. If nothing else is helping, your loved one needs professional mental health care.
