community (e.g., a natural disaster). Some st ressors may accompany specific developmen-
tal events (e.g., going to school, leaving a parental home, reentering a parental home, get-
ting married, becoming a parent, failing to attain occupational goals, retirement). 
Adjustment disorders may be diagnosed follo wing the death of a loved one when the
intensity, quality, or persis tence of grief reactions exceeds what normally might be ex-
pected, when cultural, religious, or age-appr opriate norms are taken into account. A more
specific set of bereavement-relate d symptoms has been designated persistent complex be-
reavement disorder.
Adjustment disorders are associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts and
completed suicide.
Prevalence
Adjustment disorders ar e common, although prevalence may vary widely as a function of
the population studied and the assessment me thods used. The percentage of individuals
in outpatient mental health treatment with a principal diagnosis of an adjustment disorder
ranges from approximately 5% to 20%. In a hospital psychiatric consultation setting, it is
often the most common diagno sis, frequently reaching 50%. 
Development and Course
By definition, the disturbance in adjustment disorders begins within  3 months of onset of
a stressor and lasts no longer than 6 months  after the stressor or its consequences have
ceased. If the stressor is an acute event (e.g., being fired from a job), the onset of the dis-
turbance is usually immediate (i.e., within a few days) and the durati on is relatively brief
(i.e., no more than a few mont hs). If the stressor or its co nsequences persist, the adjustment
disorder may also continue to be pr esent and become the persistent form.