Adjustment Reactions

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”

Edmund Hillary

The Definition of Trauma

Adjustment Reactions are emotional or behavioral responses to significant life changes, such as divorce, job loss, or relocation.

The stressor could even be a positive event, like marriage, having children, or a job promotion. Sometimes, one event can cause adjustment disorder symptoms. Other times, multiple events can cause symptoms after pushing you to a breaking point. Symptoms usually lessen after six months after cessation of the stressor. In the case of more chronic stressors, symptoms can become chronic. Symptoms can include anxiety, depressed mood, or mixed reactions, causing functional impairment. You may cry easily or feel depressed and hopeless. You might overindulge in risky behaviors or act recklessly or impulsively. The behaviors and feelings vary from person to person. A special type of stressor-related reactions, Prolonged Grief Disorder, recognized in DSM-5-TR, occurs after the loss of a loved one when grief persists excessively and interferes with daily functioning.

There are several types of adjustment disorders classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses (DSM-5) or the latest version, the DSM-5-TR (“TR” stands for “text revision”). This is the American Psychiatric Association’s guide to mental health conditions. Types of adjustment disorders and associated symptoms include:

• Adjustment disorder with depressed mood: Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, crying and lack of joy from things that used to bring you pleasure.
• Adjustment disorder with anxiety: Feeling worried, anxious and overwhelmed. You also have trouble concentrating.
• Adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood: Feeling both anxious and depressed.
• Adjustment disorder with disturbance of conduct: Behavioral symptoms such as acting rebellious, destructive, reckless or impulsive.
• Adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance or emotions and conduct: Anxiety, depression and behavioral issues.
• Adjustment disorder unspecified: Physical symptoms such as headaches, body aches, stomach aches, heart palpitations or insomnia.

Statistics on adjustment disorders can vary due to the different groups surveyed and varying diagnostic criteria.

What are the symptoms of adjustment disorders? Adjustment disorder symptoms affect each person differently and vary by type. Common symptoms include:

• Feeling depressed (sad, low energy, hopeless and crying easily).
• Feeling anxious (nervous and trembling).
• Impulsive or reckless behavior.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Feeling easily agitated.
• Feeling tired but being unable to sleep (insomnia).
• Experiencing body aches or soreness (headache, stomachache, etc.).
• Having a skipped heartbeat (heart palpitations) or an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).

Common examples could include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Retiring, getting married or having a baby.
• Death of a loved one.
• Relationship changes, including breakups, marital problems and divorce.
• Receiving a medical diagnosis.
• Difficulty at school or work.
• Graduating school or being promoted at work.
• Moving to a new location or home.
• Financial challenges.
• An environmental disaster.
• Not having your physical or emotional needs met.

Stress affects each person differently. Sometimes, a lot can happen at once and you simply haven’t had time to take care of yourself. Not all stressors are traumatic. They could revolve around very positive changes in your life. But when stress takes over, you won’t feel like yourself.

I can help if you have experienced a significant stressor and are concerned about how you are adjusting. 

Please e-mail me at Karen@Psychologist-NH.com.