Adjustment Disorder Onset — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ
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Correct answer: E — 1 month
The correct answer is E. In ICD-11, symptoms of adjustment disorder usually emerge within 1 month of an identifiable psychosocial stressor. The characteristic syndrome involves preoccupation with the stressor or its consequences and failure to adapt, producing significant impairment. Six months is more relevant to the expected course: symptoms usually resolve within 6 months after the stressor and its consequences have ended, although they may persist when the stressor continues. Twenty-four hours and 1 week are excessively short and are more suggestive of immediate or acute stress responses rather than the usual adjustment-disorder onset window. An onset 1 year later would generally make the causal relationship to the stressor insufficiently close.
Reference: Shevlin M, Hyland P, Ben-Ezra M, et al. Measuring ICD-11 adjustment disorder: the development and initial validation of the International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2020;141(3):265-274. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31721147/