What is adjustment disorder?

What is adjustment disorder?

Adjustment disorder is a short-term condition. It’s diagnosed in an individual who experiences an exaggerated reaction to a stressful or traumatic event.

Stressors can be single events (like a bad breakup) or can be multiple events (like work problems, struggles at school, financial issues). Stressors can happen to an individual, a family or an entire group (such as disaster survivors). Stressors can also be recurrent (like factors associated with seasonal business) or with specific “milestone” events (like going to school, getting married or retiring).

Adjustment disorder is also called situational depression.