Work problems, getting married, going away to school, an illness - any number of life changes can cause stress. Most of the time, people adjust to such changes within a few months. But if you continue to feel stressed, hopeless, worried or even reckless, you may have an adjustment disorder.

An adjustment disorder is a severe emotional reaction to a difficult event in your life. It's a type of stress-related mental illness that may affect your feelings, thoughts and behavior. You may feel very distressed and sad, for instance, or even have thoughts of suicide. You may not be able to go about some of your daily routines, such as work or seeing friends. Or you may drive recklessly or not pay your bills. In essence, you have a hard time adjusting to the change in your life, and it has serious consequences.

You don't have to tough it out on your own, though. Treatment of an adjustment disorder may help you regain your emotional footing. Most adults get better within just a few months, although youngsters may struggle longer. Treatment may also help prevent an adjustment disorder from becoming a more serious problem.

People of all ages are affected by adjustment disorders. Among children and adolescents, both boys and girls have about the same chance of having adjustment disorder. Among adults, women may be more likely than men to have adjustment disorder. But researchers are still trying to figure out what causes adjustment disorders. As with other mental disorders, the cause is likely complex and may involve genetics, your life experiences, your temperament and even changes in the natural chemicals in the brain.

Although researchers don't know exactly what causes adjustment disorders, they do know some of the risk factors involved, or the things that make you more likely to have an adjustment disorder.

Stressful events
One or more stressful life events may put you at risk of developing adjustment disorder. It may involve almost any type of stressful event in your life. Both positive and negative events can cause extreme stress. Some common examples include:

In some cases, people who face an ongoing stressful situation - such as living in a crime-ridden neighborhood - can reach a breaking point and develop an adjustment disorder.

Your life experiences
If you generally don't cope well with change - you're not especially resilient - or you don't have a strong support system, you may be more likely than someone else to have an extreme reaction to a stressful event. Some studies also suggest that your risk of an adjustment disorder is higher if you experienced stress in early childhood. Overprotective or abusive parenting, family disruptions and frequent moves early in life may make you feel like you're unable to control events in your life. When difficulties then arise, you may have trouble coping.

Other risk factors may include:

Your health care provider may ask detailed questions about how you feel and how you spend your time. This will help him or her pinpoint which specific type of adjustment disorder you have. There are six main types of adjustment disorders. Although they're all related, each type of adjustment disorder has certain signs and symptoms.

Sometimes the stressful change in your life goes away, and your symptoms of adjustment disorder get better on their own. But often, the stressful event remains a part of your life. Or a new stressor arises, and you face the same emotional struggles all over again.

You may think that an adjustment disorder is less serious than other mental health problems because it involves stress, but that's not necessarily true. Adjustment disorders can affect your whole life. You may feel so overwhelmed, stressed and hopeless that you can't go about your normal daily activities. You may skip work or school, for instance, or not pay your bills. You may drive dangerously or pick fights. People with adjustment disorders also may abuse alcohol or drugs, engage in violence, and have thoughts of suicide. If you or a loved one has suicidal thoughts or is seriously considering hurting someone, seek help immediately.

Talk to your doctor if you're having trouble getting through each day. You can get treatment to help cope better with stressful events and feel better about life again.

The signs and symptoms of adjustment disorders vary from person to person. The symptoms you have may be very different from those of someone else with adjustment disorder. But for everyone, symptoms of an adjustment disorder begin within three months of a stressful event in your life.

Length of Symptoms

How long you have symptoms of an adjustment disorder also can vary:

Adjustment disorders are diagnosed based on signs and symptoms and a thorough psychological evaluation. To be diagnosed with adjustment disorder, someone must meet criteria spelled out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental conditions and by insurance companies to reimburse for treatment.

For an adjustment disorder to be diagnosed, several criteria must be met, including:

Most people find treatment of adjustment disorder helpful, and they're in treatment only for several months. Others may benefit from longer treatment, though. There are two main types of treatment for adjustment disorder - psychotherapy and medications.

Psychotherapy
The main treatment for adjustment disorders is psychotherapy, also called counseling or talk therapy. You may attend individual therapy, group therapy or family therapy. Therapy can provide emotional support and help you get back to your normal routine. It can also help you learn why the stressful event affected you so much. As you understand more about this connection, you can also learn healthy coping skills. These skills can help you weather other stressful events that may arise in your life.

Medications
In some cases, medications may help, too. Medications can help with such symptoms as depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are the medications most often used to treat adjustment disorders. As with therapy, you may need medications only for a few months.

Most people with adjustment disorder get better within six months and don't have long-term complications. However, people who also have another mental health disorder, a substance abuse problem or a chronic adjustment disorder are more likely to have long-term mental health problems, which may include:

There are no guaranteed ways to prevent adjustment disorder, of course. But developing healthy coping skills and learning to be resilient may help you during times of high stress. Resilience is the ability to adapt well to stress, adversity, trauma or tragedy. Some of the ways you can improve your resilience are:

If you know that a stressful situation is coming up - such as a move or retirement - call on your inner strength in advance. Remind yourself that you can get through it. Use stress management and coping skills, such as exercise, yoga, meditation or even a night at the movies with friends. In addition, consider checking in with your health care or mental health care provider to review healthy ways to manage your stress.

When you face a stressful event or major life change, you can take some steps to care for your emotional well-being. Do what works for you. Some examples include:

If it's your child who's having difficulty adjusting, you can help by: