ADJUSTMENT DISORDER AS AN ADMISSION DIAGNOSIS

Objective: The authors' goal was to study subtyping, demographic varia bles, suicidality, diagnostic stability, and 2-year rehospitalization outcome for inpatients given the admission diagnosis of adjustment dis order at their institution. Method: They reviewed the charts of 54 ado lescent and 102 adult inpatients given the diagnosis of adjustment dis order at admission and compared them with the charts of 156 matched co mparison subjects given other admission diagnoses. Results: Adolescent s and adults with adjustment disorder had significantly shorter index hospitalizations and more presenting suicidality than the comparison s ubjects. Adults but not adolescents with adjustment disorder had signi ficantly fewer psychiatric readmissions and fewer rehospitalization da ys 2 years after discharge than comparison subjects, and more adults w ith adjustment disorder had diagnoses of comorbid substance use disord er. Forty percent of the patients admitted with the diagnosis of adjus tment disorder were discharged with different diagnoses. Only 18% of t he inpatients with adjustment disorder who were rehospitalized were gi ven that diagnosis at readmission. Conclusions: Adjustment disorder di agnoses were associated with suicidality, shorter lengths of stay, and , in adults, more substance use disorders and fewer rehospitalizations .