Extreme psychological discomfort makes it more challenging for one to adjust to a new environment.
“I don’t understand why these people act in this way!
This place is too different from where I used to live.”
Adjustment disorder is diagnosed in individuals who experience significant difficulties adjusting to major life changes.
Its behavioral and emotional symptoms include feeling sad and hopeless, worrying excessively, difficulty carrying out daily activities, feeling overwhelmed, withdrawing from social support, etc.
Particularly, moving to another country and building a life there can bring about a culture shock that may lead to feelings of wanting to avoid the situation. Such emotions along with a lack of social support can manifest symptoms of anxiety and depression. Other problems include drug- and alcohol-dependent behaviors, serious family conflicts, etc.
Over the past few decades, more research have been done on the factors that help relieve the psychological stress which individuals who are trying to adjust to a new environment feel. . Our clinic provides the clinical and psycho-educational programs for bilingual students based on these research data along with years of clinical experience.
Please contact us if you are currently experiencing any of the symptoms above.