Question

​Both Kurt and Magda survived airplane crashes. Both experience intrusive memories of the event as well as extreme anxiety and dissociative episodes. One might be diagnosed with acute stress disorder and the other with posttraumatic stress disorder if ____.

Answer 1

The symptoms last more than 30 days.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the DSM V, the main difference between acute stress disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is for how much time the symptoms are present.

We say that the disorder is acute when it lasts less than 30 days and then symptoms start to disappear.

However, PTSD is a more chronic disorder and it is diagnosed when the symptoms have been present for at least 30 days.

The symptoms we are talking about are:

• Re-experiencing the trauma through distressing recollections of the event like flashbacks and nightmares.
• Avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma.
• Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating and being easily irritated and angered.

Both Kurt and Magda lived an stressful event and are experience the same symptoms that can classify as PTSD, however, one might be diagnosed with acute stress disorder and the other with PTSD according to the duration of their symptoms