SINGAPORE – People with adjustment disorders can have difficulties in daily life, but mental health experts say their disabilities rarely cause them to become violent.
Dr. Steve Lee, Associate Consultant in the Department of Mood and Anxiety at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), explains that adjustment disorder is a psychological condition that occurs when individuals have difficulty coping with stressors or major life changes. said.
It is characterized by emotional and behavioral symptoms that develop after the onset of a stressful event and have a significant impact on a person’s daily functioning. Stressors include divorce, financial difficulties, interpersonal conflicts, and physical health problems.
People with this disorder may feel sad, worry excessively, and have trouble concentrating. However, most of them experience internal pain and do not become aggressive, Dr. Lee said.
“In rare cases, when a stressor causes extreme distress and the person lacks healthy coping mechanisms, there may be a small risk of aggressive behavior. It is a reaction, not a common result of maladjustment.”
David Brian Chow Kwok-hoon, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to seven years in prison on October 26, 2023, after stabbing his pregnant wife on January 11, 2022, has an adjustment disorder. was diagnosed.
After being presented with unusually low financial numbers by his employees, he loses sleep and becomes overwhelmed with stress.
Days later, he became suicidal and wanted to kill Isabel Elizabeth Francis and her unborn daughter so they could “go to heaven” instead of being humiliated.
Chow’s lawyers said his symptoms caused catastrophic thinking and severely impaired his ability to make rational judgments and understand the nature and consequences of his actions.
Dr. Lee said adjustment disorder is a relatively common mental health condition, adding that around 5 percent to 20 percent of people seeking mental health treatment around the world may receive a diagnosis of adjustment disorder. .
Dr Lim Boon Leng, a psychiatrist at Gleneagles Hospital, usually sees 10 patients with the disorder a month.
He said it was unusual for people with disabilities to engage in such extreme behavior, but said some behaviors could be unpredictable.
“People working with mental health issues can impair their better judgment. Their rationality may not be 100 percent, and sometimes they have a nihilistic perspective (extreme pessimism). “We may also adopt principles such as principles,” he added.
