Adjustment disorder Health Article

Alternative therapies

Spiritual and religious counseling can be helpful, particularly for people coping with existential issues related to physical illness.

Some herbal remedies appear to be helpful to some patients with adjustment disorders. For adjustment disorder with anxiety, a randomized controlled trial found that patients receiving Euphytose (an herbal preparation containing a combination of plant extracts including Crataegus, Ballota, Passiflora, Valeriana, Cola, and Paullinia) showed significant improvement over patients taking a placebo.

Prognosis

Most adults who are diagnosed with adjustment disorder have a favorable prognosis. For most people, an adjustment disorder is temporary and will either resolve by itself or respond to treatment. For some, however, the stressor will remain chronic and the symptoms may worsen. Still other patients may develop a major depressive disorder even in the absence of an additional stressor.

Studies have been conducted to follow up on patients five years after their initial diagnosis. At that time, 71% of adults were completely well with no residual symptoms, while 21% had developed a major depressive disorder or alcoholism. For children aged 8–13, adjustment disorder did not predict future psychiatric disturbances. For adolescents, the prognosis is grimmer. After five years, 43% had developed a major psychiatric disorder, often of far greater severity. These disorders included schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depression, substance use disorders, or personality disorders. In contrast with adults, the adolescents' behavioral symptoms and the type of adjustment disorder predicted future mental disorders.

Researchers have noted that once an adjustment disorder is diagnosed, psychotherapy, medication or both can prevent the development of a more serious mental disorder. Effective treatment is critical, as adjustment disorder is associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts, completed suicide, substance abuse, and various unexplained physical complaints. Patients with chronic stressors may require ongoing treatment for continued symptom management. While patients may not become symptom-free, treatment can halt the progression toward a more serious mental disorder by enhancing the patient's ability to cope.

Prevention

In many cases, there is little possibility of preventing the stressors that trigger adjustment disorders. One preventive strategy that is helpful to many patients, however, is learning to be proactive in managing ordinary life stress, and maximizing their problem-solving abilities when they are not in crisis.

See also Anxiety-reduction techniques; Bodywork therapies; Cognitive retraining techniques; Generalized anxiety disorder; Cognitive problem-solving skills training