What is Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)?
Acute Stress Disorder, or ASD, is a psychiatric diagnosis that was introduced into the DSM-IV in 1994. The current diagnostic criteria for ASD are similar to the criteria for PTSD, although the criteria for ASD contain a greater emphasis on dissociative symptoms and the diagnosis can only be given within the first month after a traumatic event. The inclusion of ASD in the DSM-IV was not accompanied by extensive research, and some debate exists regarding whether the diagnostic criteria accurately reflect pathological reactions to trauma that occur within the first month after a trauma 1 . However, even though debate exists about the empirical basis of the diagnosis, it has been found to be highly predictive of subsequent PTSD. How Common Is ASD? Because ASD is a relatively new diagnosis, research on the disorder is in the early stages. Studies of ASD have utilized a variety of measurement tools with varying degrees of reliability and validity. The following rates should be interpreted w
