Review: Management of adjustment disorder in the deployed setting

Abstract

Adjustment disorder is a maladaptive response to a stressor that causes functional impairment. The contribution of deployment stress on the diagnosis and treatment of adjustment disorder has not been previously explored. Despite the high cost and commonality of adjustment disorder as a behavioral health condition diagnosed during deployment, there are few clinical trials and no standardized recommendations found in this review related to treatment of military service members in the deployed setting. This manuscript reviews the best practices for adjustment disorder management and applies these principles to create clinical guidelines and an algorithm for treatment in the deployed setting. © Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S. All rights reserved.