Mixed Adjustment Disorder: Symptoms, Causes And Treatments
Throughout our lives we have to face all types of events, situations or experiences that can leave a mark on our psychological health. In some people the impact of these vital moments is so strong that it can trigger a psychological condition.
This type of condition is known as mixed adjustment disorder The purpose of this article is to analyze this type of disorder, its symptoms, causes and treatment; as well as pointing out the main differences with the rest of the adaptive disorders.
Mixed adjustment disorder refers to a group of conditions that appear as a reaction to a life stressor. Specifically, the person experiences a series of difficulties when trying to cope with a stressful or emotionally charged life event a sensation marked by strong feelings of depression and anxiety.
These events or situations can include anything from the death of a loved one, relationship problems, or a job layoff. Although any of these experiences can be distressing and stressful, some people have difficulties when it comes to managing certain stressors, which usually leads to the appearance of this type of psychological disorder.
In the case of mixed adjustment disorder, the person’s reaction is much more severe than usual and can end up causing a very significant deterioration in social, work and/or academic functioning Furthermore, in order to be diagnosed as such, the symptoms must appear within three months after the appearance of the stressor and must not last more than six months after said factor has disappeared.
This reaction can appear in response to a single specific event, such as a serious traffic accident or the death of a family member, or after experiencing a stressful period of time, such as serious marital or work problems.
Mixed adjustment disorder usually has been associated with a high risk of suicide or suicidal behavior and with the abuse of toxic substances. In addition, a mixed adjustment disorder that persists can develop into a much more serious mental disorder such as major depressive disorder.
What symptoms does it present?
Although the symptoms can vary widely among people who suffer from mixed adjustment disorder, the clinical picture of this condition includes:
How is it different from other adjustment disorders?
In addition to mixed adjustment disorder, there are six more types of adjustment disorders that appear in response to a stressful experience. As mentioned above, mixed adjustment disorder is characterized by presenting both feelings of depression and anxiety. However, the rest of the disorders have other specific qualities:
1. Adjustment disorder with depressed mood
In this case the patient tends to experience only feelings of sadness and hopelessness, as well as constant crying and anhedonia.
2. Adjustment disorder with anxious mood
The person feels pathologically overwhelmed, anxious and overworried; It can reach the point of presenting concentration problems and memory failures.
3. Adjustment disorder with behavioral alteration
The symptoms of this subtype are associated with an altered pattern of behavior, which usually involves problematic, risky, and reckless behavior.
4. With mixed alteration of emotions and behavior
Collect all the types named above. Feelings of depression, anxiety and behavioral problems.
People with this diagnosis have symptoms not associated with the previous disorders. They usually include physical symptoms and/or problems with friends, family, work and/or school.
Which can be the causes?
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, the cause or trigger of a mixed adjustment disorder is found in the appearance or experience of a highly stressful factor.
In adults, this factor is usually related to economic, work or relationship problems, while in children and adolescents these experiences include school problems, family problems or separations. Besides, There are other experiences that can affect people of any age such as the death of a loved one, life changes, accidents, catastrophes or medical conditions such as cancer.
However, these experiences are characterized by negatively affecting any person. Therefore, there are a series of conditions that modify the way in which a person faces a stressful situation and that favor the appearance of mixed adjustment disorder. These factors include:
What is the treatment based on?
Depending on the condition of the person diagnosed with mixed adjustment disorder, they may need short-term treatment, or treatment for a somewhat longer period of time. Likewise, depending on the severity of the disorder, the intervention protocol for this diagnosis may include psychological therapy, medication, or both.
1. Psychological therapy
Psychological therapy is usually the treatment of choice in a mixed adjustment disorder, since this allows the patient to recover their normal levels of functioning. The main objective of any type of psychological therapy is to help the person understand their situation and develop skills to cope with stressful situations.
The main types of therapy used in this disorder include:
2. Drug therapy
The mission of pharmacological therapy is to reduce some of the symptoms of this disorder such as insomnia and the physical symptoms of depression and anxiety Commonly used medications include:
Benzodiazepines such as lorazepam and alprazolam.
Non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics such as gabapentin.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as sertraline or venlafaxine.
