In this article, the author presents the main results of an exploratory clinical study aimed at identifying the adaptation mechanisms used by chronic psychiatric patients. These patients had been treated and followed by an external clinic located in an underprivileged urban environment. Upon the analysis of social worker's observations, the author was able to pinpoint 39 adaptation mechanisms within five areas of daily life: economical, residential, temporal, interpersonal and therapeutic. In conclusion, the author emphasizes on the six operating parameters of these adaptation mechanisms.