A 45-year-old woman develops low mood, tearfulness, and difficulty concentrating 6 weeks after her husband's job loss and subsequent financial strain. She has no prior psychiatric history, no suicidal ideation, and her symptoms do not meet criteria for major depressive disorder. What is the most likely diagnosis?

• A Acute stress disorder
• B Persistent complex bereavement disorder
• C Adjustment disorder with depressed mood ✓
• D Unspecified anxiety disorder

Explanation

Adjustment disorder involves emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor, occurring within 3 months of onset, not meeting criteria for another mental disorder, and resolving within 6 months after the stressor ends. The symptoms here are temporally linked to a psychosocial stressor and are subthreshold for major depression. Acute stress disorder requires exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence.

Reference: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed.

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