Adaptive disorder in children and adolescents: what it is, symptoms and types

Let's see what adaptive disorder in children and adolescents looks like, with its symptoms and types.

When an adult undergoes a major life change, he or she is expected to adapt and move on with life after going through a period of adaptation. The same is true for children and adolescents who undergo major life changes: they are expected to adapt and continue with their lives after a period of adaptation.The same is true for children and adolescents who undergo major life changes: they are expected to adapt appropriately.

However, just as some adults may have difficulty adjusting to new circumstances, children and adolescents may also have difficulty getting used to new changes.

In this article, we will discuss adjustment disorder in children and adolescents. we will discuss adjustment disorder in children and adolescents.. First, we will look at what adjustment disorder is, what its symptoms are, and finally, the subtypes.

What is child and adolescent adjustment disorder?

An adjustment disorder is an unhealthy emotional or behavioral reaction to a stressful event or change in a person's life.. The response occurs within three months of the stressful event.

Some events that may cause this problem in a child or adolescent are:

• A move
• A change of school or high school
• Death of one or both parents, sibling, grandparent, or other person important to the child or adolescent.
• Divorce or separation of parents
• Death of a pet
• Birth of a new brother or sister
• A sudden illness in the child or a family member
• A chronic illness in the child or a family member

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) describes adjustment disorder as "the presence of emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor occurring within three months of the onset of the stressor." In addition to exposure to one or more stressors, the following criteria must be present:

• The distress experienced is greater than expected in response to the stressor.
• Symptoms must be clinically significant.
• The distress and impairment are related to the stressor and are not an escalation of an existing mental health disorder or part of normal bereavement.

Symptoms of adjustment disorder

Adjustment disorder affects many children and adolescents, which is why it is so common. it is important to identify the symptoms of this disorder and to help the child or adolescent who is suffering from it.. Only in this way will he or she be able to receive the most appropriate treatment.

It is important to keep in mind that children and adolescents usually have different symptoms than adults. The main difference is that children and adolescents tend to have more symptoms that affect easily observable behavior, such as misbehavior.such as misbehavior. Adults, on the other hand, have more depressive symptoms.

Symptoms of adjustment disorder may include intense anxiety, decreased self-esteem, impaired coping skills, irritability, fights with peers, isolation from family and friends, and a tendency to skip school or high school, among others.

Similarly, children with adjustment disorder may have trouble sleeping or recurrent crying episodes.. They may also experience episodes of anxiety or depression.

Adolescents with an adjustment disorder, on the other hand, are more likely to develop depression and develop depression and chronic anxiety.. Many adolescents use drugs or alcohol to cope with stress or anxiety. However, regular use of these types of substances may mask a mental health problem that needs to be addressed.

In addition, the adjustment disorder interferes with the person's daily functioning, i.e., the child or adolescent is unable to function in a normal way. the child or adolescent is unable to function adequately in some area of his or her life (school, social, family...).. At this point it is important to note that each child and adolescent may experience symptoms differently, so the help of a mental health professional will be essential to make a proper diagnosis.

Types of adjustment disorders

There are six different subtypes of adjustment disorders. Each of the subtypes is based on the major symptoms experienced. Listed below are the subtypes, as well as, the most common symptoms of each:

• Adaptive disorder with depressed mood: the child or adolescent feels depressed, cries frequently, and manifests feelings of hopelessness.
• Adaptive disorder with anxiety: symptoms may include nervousness, worry and fear of separation from primary attachment figures.
• Adaptive disorder with anxiety and depressed mood: combination of symptoms of the two previous subtypes (depressed mood and anxiety).
• Adaptive disorder with behavioral disturbance: symptoms include violation of the rights of others and violation of social norms and rules.
• Adjustment disorder with mixed emotional and behavioral disturbance: the child or adolescent has a combination of symptoms from all of the above subtypes, i.e., depressed mood, anxiety and behavioral disturbances.
• Unspecified adaptive disorder: the child has reactions to stressful events that do not fit into one of the above subtypes. These may include behaviors such as social withdrawal.

As we have seen throughout the article, the consequences of adjustment disorder for children and adolescents are severe. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to how children and adolescents are coping, it is important to pay attention to how children and adolescents adapt (or not) to stressful events..