Adjustment Disorder Types

Adjustment disorders are emotional and behavioral responses to stressful life events that feel overwhelming, often leading to negative thoughts, intense emotions, and sudden changes in behavior. At The Forge Recovery Center, we understand how these challenges can affect your well-being or the life of someone you care about. Recognizing the different adjustment disorder types is essential to finding the right treatment and support. Each type presents unique symptoms, and understanding them can be the first step toward healing. In this article, we will guide you through these classifications and how they relate to effective treatment and recovery.

Overview of Adjustment Disorder

Adjustment disorder is a mental health condition triggered by a specific, identifiable stressor — such as job loss, divorce, financial hardship, or a major life change. Unlike typical stress reactions, adjustment disorder causes emotional and behavioral symptoms that feel overwhelming and out of proportion to the situation. You or your loved one might experience sadness, anxiety, anger, or even reckless behavior as a response to the stressor. These symptoms are significant enough to disrupt daily life, relationships, work, or school.

What makes adjustment disorder unique — and often confusing — is how it differs from conditions like major depressive disorder (MDD) or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). While MDD and GAD may develop without a clear external cause and often persist long-term, adjustment disorder is directly tied to a specific event or situation and usually resolves once you adapt or the stressor is removed. However, without proper care, symptoms can worsen or evolve into more serious mental health challenges. At The Forge Recovery Center, we help you recognize these patterns early and provide the personalized support you need to heal.

Types of Adjustment Disorders

The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) outlines six distinct adjustment disorder types, each classified based on the dominant emotional and behavioral symptoms experienced. Understanding these types can help you or your loved one recognize what’s happening beneath the surface and seek the right kind of help. At The Forge Recovery Center, we frequently see these patterns in those struggling not just with adjustment disorders, but also with co-occurring challenges like addiction or trauma. Here's a closer look at the six types:

1. Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood

This type is marked by emotional symptoms such as persistent sadness, tearfulness, and hopelessness. You or your loved one may feel weighed down by life and struggle to find enjoyment in activities that once brought happiness. It's common for individuals to withdraw socially, lose motivation, or experience low energy. The sadness in this type of adjustment disorder is directly linked to a stressful event and often feels more situational than clinical depression — but it can still severely impact daily life.

2. Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety

This type primarily involves excessive worry, nervousness, and feelings of being on edge. People may feel tense, restless, or jittery, often fearing the worst about the future. For children and adolescents, this can present as separation anxiety, where they become intensely fearful of being apart from parents or caregivers. Unlike generalized anxiety disorder, where anxiety is ongoing and often without a clear cause, this anxiety is clearly linked to a recent stressor.

3. Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood

In some cases, symptoms of both anxiety and depression occur together. You may notice a mixture of persistent sadness, frequent crying, and loss of interest, combined with restlessness, nervousness, and excessive worrying. This subtype can feel particularly overwhelming as it compounds emotional heaviness with constant anxious tension, making it harder for individuals to cope with daily life.

4. Adjustment Disorder with Disturbance of Conduct

This type shows up more in behaviors than emotions. You might notice patterns of rebellion, aggression, or acting out — especially in children and teens. This could include breaking rules, engaging in risky behavior, or violating the rights of others. In adults, it may appear as impulsivity, reckless actions, or destructive tendencies. Often, these behaviors are a way of expressing internal distress or frustration without directly verbalizing it.

5. Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Disturbance of Emotions and Conduct

This type involves both emotional symptoms (like depression and anxiety) and noticeable conduct issues (like defiance, aggression, or recklessness). You or your loved one may struggle with intense emotions while simultaneously engaging in risky or socially inappropriate behaviors. Left unaddressed, this subtype can increase the risk of further complications, including substance use or legal problems, which is why early intervention is vital.

6. Adjustment Disorder Unspecified

In this type, symptoms don’t fit neatly into the other categories but still cause significant distress. Some people may experience physical complaints like headaches, stomachaches, or fatigue, while others might withdraw socially or show unusual emotional reactions that don’t align fully with depression, anxiety, or conduct issues. Even if it doesn't "check all the boxes," this form is just as serious and deserves attention.

At The Forge Recovery Center, we help individuals recognize the specific adjustment disorder type they may be experiencing and tailor a treatment plan to address both the emotional and behavioral aspects, as well as any co-occurring addiction or mental health concerns.

Causes and Risk Factors

Adjustment disorders are always triggered by identifiable stressors — situations or events that disrupt your emotional balance. These stressors vary widely but often include major life changes such as divorce, relationship breakups, job loss, financial hardship, serious illness, or the death of a loved one. 

For some, even positive changes like moving to a new city, starting a new job, or becoming a parent can overwhelm their ability to cope. Traumatic events, including accidents, natural disasters, or witnessing violence, are also common causes. At The Forge Recovery Center, we often see adjustment disorders develop alongside substance use when individuals try to self-medicate their emotional distress.

Certain populations are more vulnerable to adjustment disorders. Children and adolescents may be especially sensitive to parental separation, academic pressures, or bullying. Adults facing job instability, caregiving burdens, or chronic illness are also at higher risk. 

Additionally, people with a history of mental health conditions, limited social support, or poor coping skills may struggle more when faced with stress. Recognizing these risk factors is crucial because adjustment disorders, while common, are not a sign of weakness — they are a real and treatable condition. Early intervention can prevent these symptoms from escalating into more severe mental health challenges.

Treatment Options

Treatment for adjustment disorders focuses on helping you or your loved one regain emotional balance, build coping skills, and process the stressor that triggered the symptoms. The most effective and common approach is psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy or counseling. Through therapy, individuals can better understand their emotional responses, learn healthy coping strategies, and work through unresolved feelings related to the stressful event. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is especially effective, helping you challenge negative thought patterns and develop practical tools to manage anxiety, depression, or behavioral challenges.

In some cases, medication may be recommended, particularly if symptoms are severe or if the adjustment disorder is accompanied by intense anxiety, depression, or insomnia. Medications are typically used as a short-term aid to relieve overwhelming symptoms, but they are most effective when combined with therapy. The goal is not to mask emotions, but to create enough stability for meaningful therapeutic work.

At The Forge Recovery Center, we understand that no two people experience adjustment disorders the same way. That’s why we prioritize personalized treatment plans tailored to your unique needs. Whether you are also facing addiction, trauma, or other mental health concerns, we integrate multiple levels of care to help you heal fully and sustainably.

The Role of Recovery Centers in Treating Adjustment Disorders

Recovery centers play a vital role in helping individuals move beyond the emotional and behavioral struggles caused by adjustment disorders. At The Forge Recovery Center, we recognize that adjustment disorders are rarely just about one stressful event — they often reveal deeper patterns of emotional pain, unresolved trauma, or even co-occurring issues like substance abuse. Many individuals facing adjustment disorders may turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to cope, which can quickly worsen both their mental health and their circumstances.

Our approach is centered on personalized treatment plans that address the full picture — not just the symptoms. We combine evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and trauma-informed care with holistic methods like mindfulness, wellness activities, and life skills training. When substance use is present, we integrate addiction treatment seamlessly into the recovery process.

What makes recovery centers like The Forge essential is the ability to provide a supportive, structured environment where you or your loved one can safely process emotions, build healthier coping mechanisms, and address the root causes of distress. Our team is committed to guiding you toward lasting healing — not just symptom relief — so you can move forward with resilience and hope.

Feeling Overwhelmed by Adjustment Disorder? We’re Here to Help

Adjustment disorders can make even everyday life feel heavy and unmanageable, especially when paired with other mental health or substance use challenges. The good news is, you don’t have to navigate this alone. At The Forge Recovery Center, we specialize in helping individuals like you or your loved one identify the specific adjustment disorder type, address the root causes, and develop the skills needed for lasting recovery. With compassionate, personalized care, you can regain control of your life. If you’re ready to take the next step, we’re here to help you start healing today.

Written by

The Forge Recovery Center

Reviewed by

Jeremy Arzt

Chief Clinical Officer

April 25, 2025