Difficulty Adjusting to Life Changes and Trauma

Understanding Adjustment Disorder

A relatively common mental health struggle, adjustment disorder can occur in anyone at any time in life.

Adjustment disorder symptoms may occur after a stressful or traumatic life event. This may be a result of difficulty coping with those events, which leads to changes in a person’s typical behaviors.

Risk factors (stressors) include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Death of a loved one
  • Unexpected events
  • Relationship struggles or divorce
  • Moving to a new home
  • Financial struggles
  • Illness
  • General shifts in routine
  • Family conflict
  • School trouble
  • Self-identity issues

Not everyone is affected by stressors in the same way, which means emotional or behavioral reactions can vary. A person may still deal with symptoms of adjustment disorder even with a less significant or devastating trigger, such as moving to a new home or starting a new job. Any change in usual routine can negatively impact a person with adjustment disorder’s psychological well-being.

Symptoms of Adjustment Disorder

People with adjustment disorder may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

  • Heightened anxiety
  • Defiant or impulsive behavior
  • May feel depressed or have feelings of sadness or hopelessness
  • Withdrawing from social situations
  • Physical symptoms like shaking or trembling

It may appear similarly to social anxiety disorder, depression and anxiety, but there are differentiating factors. The diagnosis of adjustment disorder requires evaluation of the following:

  • Symptoms appear closely or soon after a stressful event
  • Symptoms are heightened, or more severe than usual
  • Lengthened display of stressed behavior
  • Absence of other mental disorders
  • Separation anxiety

In severe cases, a person may experience suicidal thoughts. Your healthcare provider can perform screenings for a proper diagnosis.

Treatment for Adjustment Disorder

A treatment plan for adjustment disorder varies from case to case, depending on the person and trigger. The main goal of any treatment plan is to relieve symptoms while learning the proper coping skills to avoid recurrence.

Therapy

Therapy can be a helpful tool in diagnosing and treating many mental health conditions. Not all therapeutic approaches are the same. Depending on a person’s diagnosis and personal needs, the following may be used:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) – Talk therapy focused on changing negative thoughts and behaviors caused by psychological distress
  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) – Encourages changing negative thoughts and behaviors and focusing on self-acceptance
  • Psychotherapy – General talk therapy for mental or behavioral disorders
  • Family therapy – Psychotherapeutic counseling with family members to efficiently communicate and resolve conflicts

Lifestyle Changes

Implementing healthy habits can be the first step in the right direction for anyone. Although it may require discipline, there are easy, risk-free ways to lessen mental stress and emotional reactivity. Try creating and sticking to a daily routine, staying organized, minimizing excess stimuli when you need to focus, and keeping your body active when possible.

Eating nutritious foods, practicing deep breathing techniques, exercising and learning your triggers and reactions can tremendously help cope.

Support Groups

There are many different kinds of support groups, and joining one can have many benefits. Support groups can be a comforting space for those who feel alone in their struggles with mental illness, such as adjustment disorder with anxiety.

Being able to connect with others over a shared behavior or issue can help to lessen the burden and shame. In support group meetings, a person will learn healthy coping mechanisms and techniques to learn how to more easily adjust to life changes.

Medication

Mental health professionals may recommend different approaches supplemented by medication, if necessary. Proper treatment can help ease troubling symptoms and resolve Adjustment Disorder in a timely manner, allowing you to get back to life.

 

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000932.htm#:~:text=Adjustment%20disorder%20is%20a%20group,type%20of%20event%20that%20occurred.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28784404/