A 35-year-old man is brought to the emergency department 5 days after a severe road traffic accident. He reports intrusive memories of the accident, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and feeling on edge. He has been unable to return to work. Which statement about his condition is most accurate?

• A A diagnosis of PTSD can be made once symptoms persist beyond 2 weeks
• B The diagnosis is adjustment disorder since the stressor was a single event
• C Symptoms must persist for at least 3 months before any trauma-related diagnosis can be made
• D He currently meets criteria for acute stress disorder, which requires symptoms lasting 3 days to 1 month ✓

Explanation

Acute stress disorder is diagnosed when post-traumatic symptoms last from 3 days to 1 month after trauma exposure. PTSD requires symptom duration beyond 1 month. The 5-day timeline here falls within the acute stress disorder window. Adjustment disorder does not require the specific intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptom clusters seen here.

Reference: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.