Francesco Chirico
Work-related stress is experienced when the demands of the work environment exceed the employees’ ability to cope with (or control) them. Recently, in DSM-5, disorders which are precipitated by specific stressful and potentially traumatic events in the workplaces are included in a new diagnostic category, “Trauma and Stress-related Disorders”, which includes both Adjustment Disorders (Ads) and PTSD. Adjustment disorder is a common diagnosis in psychiatric settings and carries a significant rate of morbidity. Nevertheless, until now, despite its relative frequency, adjustment disorder has been poorly covered in the literature; this diagnostic category has been the subject of criticism. Occupational Health Surveillance could reduce the misdiagnosis of AD and, simultaneously, improve the research on “workrelated stress disorders”.
