Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Trauma and Critical Care

Both acute stress disorder (ASD) and PTSD are increasingly recognized to occur in trauma survivors, and each entity has specific Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria. To achieve the diagnosis of PTSD, the aforementioned symptoms must be present for more than one month. When these manifestations combine with dissociative symptoms and persist between two days and four weeks following the traumatic event, this entity is referred to as ASD. Being affected by ASD or PTSD significantly impacts the quality of life (QoL), emotional well being, and functional recovery outcomes of these patients (1,5).