- With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, board certified in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry, is a St. Louis native looking to the Internet as a way to help people improve their health and be more active participants in their own health care by learning from Mayo Clinic's experts.
Dr. Hall-Flavin has been a member of the faculties of Cornell University Medical College, New York Medical College, and The George Washington University Medical School before joining the Mayo Clinic staff in 1996. He has special interests in adult psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and psychogenomics. He has served as medical director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence from 1986 to 1999.
"With the advent of the genomics and proteomics revolution and the pace of advances in medicine, informed collaborative relationships between knowledgeable, capable health professionals and informed, proactive individuals and their families are more vital than ever," he said.
"I'm optimistic that our Internet health education activities will contribute to ever-improving health outcomes for all who participate and apply what is learned."
Stress basics (4)
- Chronic stress: Can it cause depression?
- Stress and hair loss: Are they related?
- Normal stress vs. adjustment disorder: What's the difference?
- see all in Stress basics
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Question
Normal stress vs. adjustment disorder: What's the difference?
What's the difference between normal stress and an adjustment disorder?
Answer
from Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to positive or negative situations in your life, such as a new job or the death of a loved one. Stress itself isn't abnormal or bad. What's important is how you deal with stress.
When you have so much trouble adjusting to the stressful change that you find it difficult to go about your daily routine, you may have developed an adjustment disorder. An adjustment disorder is a type of stress-related mental illness that can affect your feelings, thoughts and behaviors. An adjustment disorder can occur in both adults and children.
Signs and symptoms of an adjustment disorder can include:
- Sadness
- Crying spells
- Thoughts of suicide
- Worry
- Trouble sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fighting
- Poor school or work performance
- Vandalism
If you have stressful situations in your life, try self-help measures, such as talking things over with caring family or friends, practicing yoga or meditation, getting regular exercise and cutting back on your to-do list. If these techniques don't help and you feel like you're having a hard time coping, talk to your doctor about treatment options.
Next questionStress: How do you control weight gain?
- Adjustment disorders. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Strain JJ, et al. Adjustment disorders. In: Hales RE, et al., eds. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Adjustment disorders. In: Sadock BJ, et al. Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Hall-Flavin DK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 1, 2009.
