Navigating stress through constitution: A clinical study on homoeopathic management of adjustment disorder

Background: Adjustment Disorder is a stress-related psychiatric condition characterized by emotional and behavioural symptoms arising in response to identifiable psychosocial stressors. Although often considered time-limited, the condition can cause significant distress and functional impairment. Homoeopathy is commonly used in clinical practice for stress-related disorders; however, systematic documentation of outcomes using standardized assessment tools remains limited. Objective: To observe changes in symptom severity among patients diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder who received individualized homoeopathic constitutional treatment, using the Adjustment Disorder New Module-20 questionnaire as the outcome measure. Materials and Methods: This prospective, non-randomized, observational clinical case series was conducted at a tertiary homoeopathic medical institution from March 2024 to January 2025. Patients aged 18-55 years diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder based on standard diagnostic criteria were included. After screening and enrolment, 28 patients completed a minimum follow-up period of six months. Individualized homoeopathic constitutional medicines were prescribed based on detailed case taking. Symptom severity was assessed before and after treatment using the Adjustment Disorder New Module-20 questionnaire. Data were analysed using appropriate statistical methods, including paired comparison testing and effect size estimation. Results: Among the 28 patients analysed, most participants demonstrated moderate to marked clinical improvement during the study period. The Adjustment Disorder New Module-20 score showed a substantial reduction from baseline to post-treatment assessment. The mean ADNM-20 score reduced from 68.61 at baseline to 40.50 at follow-up, with a mean difference of 28.11 points (95% CI: 23.97-32.24; p