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ADJUSTMENT
DISORDER
By-

MIND MANTRA
(Empowering you with the secrets
of emotional and behavioural health)

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ADJUSTMENT DISORDER

ADJUST.????
Adjust is probably one of the most heard and followed words since birth.
It’s infinity of times that one hears:
“Please adjust”,
“thoda adjust karo”,
“learn to adjust”,
“you can’t adjust only”
“now you will have to adjust a little”
And the list goes on....

Definition of “Adjust”:

By dictionary definition:
1. To change so as to match or fit
2. To bring into proper relationship.
3. To adapt or conform, as to new conditions
4. To achieve a psychological balance with regard to one's external
environment, one's needs, and the demands of others.

What is an Adjustment Disorder?

Stress is one of the biggest psychological killers mankind has seen. Every
Person has a limit to the amount of stress he can take. Beyond that threshold,
his psyche becomes brittle and starts to break down. In many it gives rise to
nervous breakdown.

Adjustment disorder is a series of clinically significant signs and symptoms.

These appear when an individual can’t adjust any longer to a specific
stressor or situation. Stress breach’s thru his emotional, psychological and
behavioural tolerance limits.

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How common is it?

1. Extensive Research has found that among the general population nearly 1
in 10 individuals suffer from adjustment disorders.
2. This figure is several times higher among educated individuals, among
individuals with an anxious personality and among individuals with very
rigid personalities.
3. Found twice much in females than in males.

Most Commonly Occurs In?

• It can occur at any age.
• Any change or new situation that creates unbearable emotional and
psychological stress can cause adjustment disorder.

The cases most commonly at risk are:

a. Children and Adolescents:-

Stressful situations like
i. School- Study problems (unable to cope with studies pressure),
new teachers, new school/college, new schedule, new set of school
friends
ii. Parents - divorce, parental substance abuse, parental disease
(cancer, diabetes, hypertension, heart attack), parental rejection.
iii. Social – Broken love affairs, Sex (sexual anxiety, peer pressure,
not able to understand sex and body sexual changes), peer pressure
for addictions, religious pressures.

b. Adults - common stresses that cause adjustment disorder are:

i. marriage – newly married (adjusting to new environment,
responsibilities, people)
ii. sudden financial problem
iii. Relationship problems – divorce, problems with in-laws, brothers,
sisters
iv. Losing a friend.
v. Moving into a new environment – new house, new car, new
position at work.
vi. Birth of a child.
vii. Job= a new job, or losing a job.

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viii. Personality – certain personality types have more chances of

developing this disorder. These include avoidant personality,
Anxious personality, Very rigid or obsessive personality, and
histrionic personality types.

What are its signs and symptoms?

1. They are clinically significant emotional or behavioural symptoms that
develop in response to an identifiable psychosocial stressor or stressors,
occurring within 3 months of the onset of the stressor.

2. One or more of the following Signs and Symptoms are present thru most
of the day:

A. Depressed Mood – It’s Sadness of mood that slowly moves from

controllable to uncontrollable.
From occasionally present to daily presence.
1. When depression is superficial to unconscious- Sadness, tearfulness
and decreased concentration is experienced
2. As it moves deeper into the unconscious- a Sense of hopelessness and
worthlessness is seen.
3. When depression starts taking over the unconscious - the symptoms of
social withdrawal, crying spells, suicidal ideas, are manifested.

B. Anxiety – Anxiety, fear, racing of thought Present thru out the day or
in episodic spells, having 2 or more of the following:

Heavy breathing, heaviness in the heart, uncontrollable fear, feeling you

heart beat (palpitations), jitteriness, agitation, sweating, racing of
thoughts, confusion appear without reason.

C. Disturbance in Behaviour -
A change in behaviour may manifest. From a mild irritable behaviour to
marked violation of societal rules and regulations. E.g.
Reckless driving, vandalism, fighting without reason, excessive shopping,
indulgence in addictions (smoking and alcohol), excessive eating, sleep
disorders,
Ideas and actions of self-harm, suicide are few of the common examples
seen.

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D. Marked emotional pain-

1. Stress present thru out the day,
2. Emotional numbness,
3. Severe cases even nervous breakdown can be seen.
4. Emotional pain can become physical, and a person might experience
unwanted headaches, pain in the joints, chest pains that are not detected
by medical tests. (a pain that is not detected by any medical testing, has
an emotional cause)

TREATMENT
2 modalities of treatment can be followed:

1. Mild form of disorder – when signs and symptoms are occasionally

present thru the day, when it’s not causing excessive emotional,
psychological and physical pain.

Patient would need to:

a. Strengthen his mind and emotional level. – Yoga, meditation, regular
exercise are natural ways of doing so.
b. Planned and practical approach to life.
c. Venting out his feelings – having a strong support system (family
members, friends) a constant communication which helps to vent out
negativity. Secondly maintaining a diary where all negative emotions
are written down helps to manifest the unconscious and drain out the
negativity.
d. Entertainment helps the might to divert from the stress. Music,
movies, window shopping.
e. Diet – having a balanced diet, with higher amount of milk based
proteins. Lesser amount of fried and fatty stuff. Avoiding alcohol and
cigarettes.

2. Severe Form of the disorder- when signs and symptoms are present thru
most of the day.
a. Counselling – consult a professional counsellor to help you, to guide
you thru the rearrangement of emotions and help you look positively
in adversity.

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b. Medications – a small dose of non-sedative, non-addictive anti-

depressants. 2-3 months course of the same can help re-arrange any
chemical imbalance caused by the stress and help you lead a positive
life.
(Medications are just aid to help you come out of the initial trouble,
after that counselling will take away whatever traces remain.)

• Ayurvedic, homeopathic and allopathic all medications help.

• A person should 1st take Ayurvedic then homeopathic and
finally allopathic medication.
• All these three modalities are good and efficacious in their own
phases.
• Ayurvedic cannot help in severe phase, but is very good in mild
phases.
• Allopathic in mild cases, is like using a nuclear bomb.
• Ask your psychiatrist, counsellor to prescribe you medications
as per the phase you are in.
• Ask your doctor about each medication.

FOR FURTHER QUERIES YOU CAN CONTACT US AT:

Dr. Hemantt Mittall MBBS• PG.DPM

(Mind, Behavior, Memory
& Sexual Problems Expert)

MIND MANTRA
EMPOWERING YOU FOR A HEALTHY MIND & BODY

cell: 9022843484 (between 7.30pm-10pm)

email: eksoch@gmail.com • website: www.mindmantra.in
address: shop no.15, shreeji complex,
plot no. 24, sector-25, opp. seawoods station, nerul, navi mumbai- 400706

ISSUED IN PUBLIC INTEREST by MIND MANTRA.