• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FHE Health - Addiction & Mental Health Care Homepage

Drug, Alcohol and Mental Health Treatment

ContactCareers

Call for Immediate Help (833) 596-3502

MENUMENU
  • About
        • About FHE Rehab
          • About FHE Health
          • Our Staff
          • Locations We Serve
          • Testimonials
        • Our Campus
          • Gallery
          • Our Videos
          • The Health and Wellness Center at FHE Health
        • Our Locations
          • Alcohol Rehab
          • Detox Center
          • Drug Rehab
          • Mental Health Center
          • Outpatient Rehab
        • Careers at FHE Health
          • Employment Opportunities
        • Our Expertise
          • Accreditations
          • Educational Opportunities
          • Community Impact Award
          • First Responder Families Podcast
          • First Responder Paws
          • Education Scholarship
  • Addiction
        • Treatment Programs
          • Treatment Program Overview
          • Alcohol Addiction
          • Drug Addiction Treatment
          • Behavioral Addiction
        • Levels of Care
          • Continuum of Care
          • Addiction Detox
          • Inpatient Addiction Treatment
          • Outpatient Addiction Treatment
        • What We Treat
          • Alcoholism
          • Amphetamines
          • Benzodiazepines
          • Cocaine
          • Heroin
          • Opioids
          • Sedative
  • Mental Health
        • Mental Health Rehab
          • Mental Health Rehab
          • Onsite Psychiatric Care
          • Dual Diagnosis
        • Levels of Care
          • Residential Mental Health Care
          • Outpatient Mental Health Care
        • What We Treat
          • ADD & ADHD
          • Anxiety Disorders
          • Bipolar Disorder
          • Depression
          • Eating Disorders
          • Personality Disorders
          • PTSD
          • Schizophrenia
          • Substance Use Disorder
          • Trauma
  • Programs
        • FHE Programs
          • Specialty Program Overview
          • Restore (Mental Health)
          • Empower! (Women's Program)
          • Shatterproof FHE Health(First Responders)
          • Compass Program
        • Support Programs
          • Alumni
          • Family Support
        • Therapies
          • Acupuncture
          • Breathwork Therapy
          • CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
          • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
          • EMDR Therapy
          • Expressive Arts Therapy
          • Individual Therapy
          • Group Therapy
          • Gambling Therapy
          • Massage
        • Medical Care
          • Medical Integration
          • Ketamine Infusion
          • IV Vitamin
          • Fitness & Nutrition
          • Medication-Assisted Treatment
          • Medication Management
        • NeuroRehab Services
          • Neuro Rehabilitation
          • Neurofeedback Training
          • Neurostimulation Therapy
          • EEG Brain Mapping
          • Insomnia Treatment for PTSD
  • Resources
        • FHE Guides
          • Understanding Drug Abuse
          • Signs of Addiction
          • The Disease of Addiction
          • Confronting Addiction
          • Staging an Intervention
          • Rehab Success Rate – Does It Really Work?
          • Withdrawal Timelines
          • Life After Rehab
          • LGBTQ+ Community Resources
          • Veteran Resources
          • FHE Podcasts
          • Remote Resources Toolkit
        • Learning Center
          • Help for You
          • Help For Loved Ones
          • Help For Alcoholism
          • Help With Substance Abuse
          • Behavioral & Mental Health
          • Life in Recovery
          • Rehab Explained
          • Addiction Statistics
          • Our Research Articles
          • View All Articles
        • The Experience Blog
          • Addiction News
          • Alumni
          • Community Events
          • Expert Opinions
          • FHE Commentary
          • FHE News
          • Treatment Legislation
          • View All Articles
  • Admissions
        • Insurance
          • Blue Cross Insurance
          • Beacon Health / Value Options Insurance
          • Cigna Insurance
          • Humana Insurance
          • TRICARE Insurance
        • Admissions
          • Steps to Addiction Help
          • Will Insurance Cover Behavioral Treatment?
          • Self-Pay Rehab
        • FAQ
          • Keeping Your Job in Rehab
          • Example Day in Rehab
        • Contact Admissions
          • Contact Us
          • Secure Payment Form
  • Contact
  •  
Home > Featured in Mental Health > Adjustment Disorders

December 19, 2023 By Chris Foy

Adjustment Disorders

Adjustment Disorders - What are they

Stressful or traumatic life events often happen without warning, which is why they can be so challenging to cope with. However, if months have passed and you’re still experiencing difficulty moving on or regulating your emotions, you may be struggling with an adjustment disorder.

Adjustment disorders can affect your thoughts, feelings and behaviors, making it hard to fulfill daily obligations, but they can be treated. Keep reading to understand the types of adjustment disorders, how they can impact mood and behavior and what treatment options are available.

Demystifying Adjustment Disorders: What You Need to Know

An adjustment disorder is an excessive reaction to stress or trauma that elicits strong emotions or behavioral changes. It can cause short-term symptoms that cause you to react more intensely than you typically would or the situation warrants. You may act recklessly or impulsively, which can disrupt school or work performance and interpersonal relationships.

According to Johns Hopkins Psychiatric Guide, between 3% and 10% of primary care patients struggle with an adjustment disorder. This condition can occur in both children and adults and can cause varying symptoms, depending on the person and type of adjustment disorder. Common symptoms include:

  • Feelings of sadness or hopelessness
  • Rebellious or impulsive actions
  • Loss of self-esteem
  • Social isolation
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety or agitation
  • Indigestion
  • Muscle twitches or trembling
  • Suicidal thoughts

Those with an acute adjustment disorder may experience symptoms for 6 months or less, while a chronic adjustment disorder can cause disruptive symptoms for longer than 6 months.

Types of Adjustment Disorders

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists six subtypes of adjustment disorders, each with its own unique symptoms. These disorders include:

  • Adjustment disorder with depressed mood. Symptoms include feelings of hopelessness, sadness and lack of pleasure in activities that used to bring joy. Individuals may also lack motivation to accomplish everyday tasks or experience suicidal thoughts.
  • Adjustment disorder with anxiety. Individuals may feel persistently worried, anxious or overwhelmed and have issues with concentration or memory. For children, this disorder is usually associated with separation anxiety from a parent or guardian.
  • Adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. This disorder can produce a combination of anxious and depressed feelings.
  • Adjustment disorder with disturbance of conduct. People with this disorder typically experience behavioral symptoms considered dangerous to society, such as acting destructive, rebellious or impulsive. Adults may drive recklessly, abuse substances or start fights, while adolescents may skip school or steal.
  • Adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct. This disorder is associated with a mix of psychological symptoms, including depression or anxiety, and behavioral problems.
  • Adjustment disorder unspecified. This last subtype is characterized by symptoms that don’t align with other types of adjustment disorders. It often includes physical symptoms, such as body aches, headaches, insomnia, heart palpitations or stomachaches, and can result in work, school or relationship issues.

What Causes an Adjustment Disorder?

Stressful or traumatic events can cause adjustment disorders, especially if an individual is having trouble coping with the aftermath. Common causes for adjustment disorders in adults include:

  • Death of a loved one
  • Getting married or having a baby
  • Relationship changes, including a divorce, a breakup or marital issues
  • Receiving a medical diagnosis
  • Moving to a new place
  • Experiencing a natural disaster
  • Experiencing financial or work challenges
  • Not having emotional or physical needs met

Children and adolescents may develop an adjustment disorder if they’re having problems at school, dealing with family issues or experiencing anxiety about their sexuality. Additionally, a situation doesn’t have to be traumatic to cause an adjustment disorder. Experiencing numerous life changes simultaneously can be difficult to deal with, causing you to feel stressed, overwhelmed or unsure of how to balance everything.

Certain triggers can also cause symptoms of an adjustment disorder. Triggers are reminders of a stressful or traumatic event that can elicit strong memories, affecting how you feel about that particular reminder. They’re often very personal and can include:

  • A photo or keepsake
  • Clothing
  • Certain sounds, like a familiar song
  • The taste or smell of specific foods
  • The place where the event occurred

Triggers can produce mild or severe symptoms, depending on how intense and personal the stressful situation is.

Risk Factors for Adjustment Disorders

Adjustment disorders can affect anyone at any age, and there’s no way to tell who’s more likely to develop one within a group of people experiencing the same stressor. That said, the following factors may increase your risk of developing an adjustment disorder:

  • Life experiences
  • Personality and temperament
  • Family history and genetics
  • Prior mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder

Treatment Approaches and Coping Strategies for Adjustment Disorders

If you’re diagnosed with an adjustment disorder, several treatment options are available to help with symptom management. Therapy is a primary treatment, and you may be referred to a mental health professional. Therapists can offer emotional support and help you understand the root cause of your adjustment disorder so you can develop healthy coping skills and return to a normal level of functioning. Several types of therapy are available to help with adjustment disorders, including:

  • Talk therapy
  • Family or group therapy
  • Crisis intervention
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Support groups

Medications can also help alleviate certain adjustment disorder symptoms, including anxiety, depression and insomnia. Benzodiazepines or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed. For some people, a combination of therapy and medication may be necessary to overcome their disorder.

Additionally, there are steps you can take at home to cope with an adjustment disorder and alleviate unpleasant symptoms. These healthy coping strategies may include:

  • Avoiding unnecessary stress, such as nonessential tasks
  • Creating an exercise routine
  • Journaling
  • Focusing on positive thoughts
  • Practicing yoga or meditation
  • Going for walks
  • Reaching out to close friends or family
  • Finding a local support group

For most people, adjustment disorders usually don’t last longer than 6 months. That said, the sooner you begin treatment, the sooner you can recover and resume normal life.  Dr. Beau A. Nelson, Chief Clinical Officer of FHE Health counsels patients to “ask questions about their diagnosis, adjustment disorders may sound unusual but are actually quite common and effective treatment can show improvement for most people .”

Getting Help for an Adjustment Disorder

Coping with a major life change or stressful event can be difficult, but you don’t have to do it alone. FHE Health can help you process the event and understand how it’s affecting you, allowing you to move on in a healthy way. Contact us today to learn about our services and see which treatment option is right for you.

Filed Under: Featured in Mental Health, Behavioral & Mental Health

About Chris Foy

Chris Foy is a content manager and webmaster for FHE Health with years of experience in the addiction treatment industry...read more

Primary Sidebar

Expert Nelson

Expert Review By

Dr. Beau Nelson, DBH, LCSW
Dr. Beau Nelson

Chief Clinical Officer,
at FHE Health

As chief Clinical Officer at FHE Health, a nationally recognized behavioral health treatment provider, he ensures quality, innovation, and comprehensive treatment for patients.

Dr. Nelson has worked in the behavioral health field for more than 22 years. He has served as a clinical director, clinician, and supervisor for mental health pro- grams in acute, sub-acute, and outpatient facilities, and in primary care.

Read More

Learning Center

  • Help for You
  • Help For Loved Ones
  • Help For Alcoholism
  • Help With Substance Abuse
  • Behavioral & Mental Health
  • Life in Recovery
  • Rehab Explained
  • All Articles

Sign up for the Blog

Our Facilities

Take a look at our state of the art treatment center.

View Our Gallery

The Experience Blog

  • Addiction News
  • Alumni
  • Community Events
  • Expert Columns
  • FHE Commentary
  • FHE News
  • Treatment Legislation
  • All Articles

Footer

FHE Health

© 2025 FHE Health

505 S Federal Hwy #2,
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441
1-833-596-3502
youtube facebook instagram linkedin twitter
  • Contact
  • Careers at FHE Health
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
A+ BBB and Top Places to Work - Sun Sentinel

Copyright © 2025 · FHE Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}

The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. If one of our articles is marked with a ‘reviewed for accuracy and expertise’ badge, it indicates that one or more members of our team of doctors and clinicians have reviewed the article further to ensure accuracy. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.

If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at marketing@fhehealth.com.

833-596-3502

Text/Call Me