What we treat
Adjustment disorders
Sometimes life hands you something hard — a job loss, a divorce, a diagnosis, a move — and your nervous system can’t quite catch up. That’s a real thing, and it’s treatable.
What adjustment disorder is
Adjustment disorder is a real diagnosis: significant emotional or behavioral symptoms — usually anxiety, low mood, or both — that develop in response to an identifiable stressor and cause meaningful impairment, beyond what you’d expect for the situation.
The stressor can be almost anything:
- Job loss, layoff, or career change
- Divorce, breakup, or relationship rupture
- Death of a parent, friend, partner, or pet
- A medical diagnosis — yours or someone you love
- A move, immigration, or empty nest
- Becoming a parent, caregiver, or losing a caregiving role
- Financial pressure or a sudden change in circumstances
- Retirement
Adjustment disorder typically begins within three months of the stressor and, by definition, doesn’t last forever — though it can persist as long as the stressor continues.
How it’s different from regular stress — or from depression
Most life stressors cause some emotional response, and that’s normal. Adjustment disorder is when the response is large enough that you can’t function the way you usually do — you’re not sleeping, your work is suffering, your relationships are strained, you’re avoiding things you’d normally do.
It’s distinguished from major depressive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder because the symptoms are clearly tied to the stressor and tend to ease as the situation stabilizes. But the line is fuzzy — sometimes adjustment disorder progresses into something more, especially if it’s untreated or the stressor doesn’t end.
How we treat it
Therapy — usually short and focused
The first-line treatment is therapy. Adjustment disorder responds especially well to brief, focused work — often 6 to 12 sessions. We use:
- Problem-focused CBT — identifying what’s actually solvable, what isn’t, and developing concrete plans for both
- Acceptance and commitment work — learning to move forward when life’s circumstances aren’t going to change
- Grief-focused therapy when loss is the underlying stressor
Medication, when it helps
Medication isn’t always needed for adjustment disorder. When sleep is collapsing or anxiety is preventing you from functioning at work or with family, short-term medication can give therapy and time enough room to work. We use the lowest effective dose for the shortest reasonable period.
Practical support
Adjustment disorder treatment isn’t all in your head. We’ll talk about sleep, exercise, structure, social support, and what’s realistic to ask for from work, family, or partners during this period. Sometimes the most important intervention is permission — to take a real break, to ask for help, to grieve.
When to come in
If something has happened in your life and three or four weeks later you’re still not yourself — not eating, not sleeping, not working, not enjoying anything — that’s the right time. Earlier intervention typically means shorter treatment.