Overview of Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders

ByJohn W. Barnhill, MD, New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Reviewed/Revised Aug 2023
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    Most psychiatric diagnoses are clustered by core symptomatology. Trauma- and stressor-related disorders are unusual because they are grouped by apparent etiology: all of these disorders develop after exposure to a traumatic or stressful event. They are often discussed in the context of anxiety disorders, but the trauma- and stressor-related disorders may present with dysphoria, irritability, dissociation, substance use, or insomnia in addition to (or instead of) anxiety.

    Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) categorizes the following as trauma- and stressor-related disorders:

    Acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are similar except ASD typically begins immediately after the trauma and lasts from 3 days to 1 month, whereas PTSD may start either as a continuation of ASD or as a separate occurrence that begins a month or more after the trauma. It may also begin with delayed expression 6 months or more after the trauma. ASD and PTSD in children and adolescents are discussed elsewhere.

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