We are constantly bombarded with multiple stimuli that demand our attention, processing and response. The mindset created can be good or unadaptable depending on the nature of the challenges and the resources available to tackle them.

The human mind interferes between these stressors, as we call them, and our responses. There are two mechanisms in the human mind, namely the unconscious psychological strategies known as defense mechanisms, and coping mechanisms, which are conscious, adaptive coping strategies.

However, humans differ in their basic constitution, which may explain different patterns of adaptation in people exposed to the same challenge, but no human is configured to deactivate regardless of the enormous challenge.

A group of psychological disorders that arise due to the failure of adaptive mechanisms to cope effectively, especially psychosocial stressors, are called adaptation disorders. They occur between normal behaviour and major psychiatric illness and constitute one of the problematic subthreshold disorders.

Adaptation disorders are stress-related phenomena where a stressor produces maladaptation and symptoms that are limited in time until the stressor goes down or a new state of adaptation occurs. Adaptation disorders present major diagnostic dilemmas because they are often ill-defined, overlap with other diagnostic groups and have unspecified symptoms.