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Adjustment
disorders
We are constantly confronted with annoying, embarrassing,
frightening, and sometimes unfortunate life situations. People with an
adjustment disorder react to lovesickness, divorce, job problems, and other
stressful events with a robust emotional vulnerability, which is too expressed
physically. They no longer adapt to the applicable social norms and therefore
attract attention. So you have to expect difficulties in everyday life.
Few people who experience these problems see a doctor.
Therefore statistical surveys on this clinical picture are imprecise. The
disease occurs in every age group and under all genders. Since women tend to
confide in their doctors more often, they also appear more frequently in the
statistics.
How does
an adjustment disorder come about?
An adjustment disorder arises when a previous conflict
appears unsolvable. This could be constant stress at work, the loss of a loved
one, or a diagnosis of a severe illness.
The disorder develops when the person concerned does not
have enough resources to ward off the negative influences. We all have to deal
with blows of fate, but not everyone develops an adjustment disorder. The
clinical picture only arises when the social conditions create a breeding
ground.
For some people, the fear-inducing situations lead to a
mental imbalance that seems to throw them entirely off course. They suffer from
it for months, sometimes even years, and are avoided by their relatives,
colleagues, and friends. The social exclusion increases stress.
The
multiple symptoms of adjustment disorder
The disease is relatively easy to diagnose because it
manifests itself through emotional impairments that were not an issue before
the event. Even so, its symptoms are diverse.
They occur soon after a drastic event such as separation,
accident, or death and range from
·
Discontent,
·
Imbalance and
·
Concern up to
·
diffuse
fears and
·
depressive disorders.
People with adjustment disorder are always very tense, often
angry, and have pronounced anxiety. Often they are in pain, although
organically, there is nothing wrong with them. They are quickly exhausted and
have behavioral problems, for example showing unusual aggressiveness.
Family members should pay more attention to psychosocial changes
after a stroke of fate because those affected hardly notice their behavior
changes. If the behavior changes last longer than 5 to 6 weeks, medical help is
necessary.
Similarities
to other mental illnesses
Although the adjustment disorder is associated with periods
of depression, it should not be confused with depression. There are also
similarities with post-traumatic stress disorder, but here, too, the clinical
picture is different.
Those affected often complain of functional disorders in the
spine, gastrointestinal tract, and cardiovascular system with an adjustment
disorder. Without any real findings, the symptoms almost always occur together.
Even if these physical complaints are present, even though everything is
organically in order, the adjustment disorder is not somatoform.
Treatment
of adjustment disorder
Since the disease presents with various symptoms, these are
treated individually. Even with psychological stress, it can make sense to
carry out organic examinations to rule out other diseases. In general,
the therapy aims to reduce the symptoms' severity or eliminate them. In the
case of depressive symptoms, sport, an exercise in the fresh air, and the
activation of social life have proven effective.
Problem-solving strategies can help you handle the triggers
better. This also prevents extremely critical situations such as suicidal
thoughts. In addition to relaxation techniques such as autogenic and
progressive muscle relaxation, psychotherapeutic measures are useful.
The therapy can be carried out as an inpatient or outpatient.
Inpatient psychotherapy has the advantage that the patient has many different
therapy options available within a fixed period. Furthermore, in a special
clinic, he gains the necessary distance from the triggering event.
If the symptoms are particularly severe, medication can be
administered temporarily. But even with medication, the main focus is on
psychotherapy.