acute stress disorder

n. Acute stress disorder (ASD) was first included as an anxiety disorder in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). The specified etiology of ASD is a traumatic event that was severe enough to generate intense fear, helplessness, or horror in the victim. In addition, the traumatic event must have involved actual or threatened harm to oneself or others. ASD symptoms include dissociative, anxiety, and avoidance components, such as a lack of emotional responsiveness, a sense of numbing or detachment, persistent re-experiencing of the event through recurring images, and/or thought, dreams, or flashbacks of the event. To meet criteria for ASD, the symptoms must have persisted for a minimum of 2 days and have occurred within a month of the trauma. If the symptoms persist longer than 4 weeks, the diagnosis is typically changed to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although symptom severity in the first few days following the trauma is not predictive of the eventual development of PTSD, ASD symptom severity 1 to 2 weeks post trauma is highly correlated with the eventual development of PTSD. Other negative prognostic signs include catastrophic appraisal of the symptoms that are being experienced, as well as attributions of shame or self-blame about the traumatic event. To date, cognitive behavioral therapy appears to be the treatment of choice for individuals diagnosed with ASD. - JL-R