<unk>  is defined as the development of characteristic symptoms lasting from 3 days to 1 month following exposure to one or more traumatic events. The exact pathogenesis of<unk>  is not fully understood. It is thought that<unk>  is caused by either sympathetic nervous system, both directly and indirectly through the release od adrenaline and to a lesser extent noradrenaline from the medulla of the adrenal glands, or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.<unk>  may be caused by either experiencing, witnessing, or being confronted with one or more traumatic events. The point prevalence of<unk>  <unk>  following trauma exposure has been estimated at between 5 and 20 percent. Females are more commonly affected with<unk>  than males. Common risk factors in the development of<unk>  are temperamental, environment, and genetic and physiological. If left untreated, 50% of patients with<unk>  may progress to develop post traumatic<unk>  disorder. Common complications of<unk>  include interference with sleep, energy levels, and capacity to attend to tasks, generalized withdrawal, and progression to post traumatic<unk>  disorder. Prognosis is generally good, and the majority of individuals experiencing<unk>  recover completely. If the disorder lasts more than 4 weeks, a significant percentage will develop posttraumatic<unk>  disorder (PTSD). The diagnosis of<unk>  is based on the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, which include criterion A i.e the exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation in one (or more) of the following ways such as directly experiencing the traumatic event(s), witnessing, in person, the event(s) as it occurred to others, learning that the event(s) occured to a close family member or close friend, and experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s), criterion B i.e presence of nine (or more) of the symptoms from any of the five categories of intrusion, negative mood, dissociation, avoidance, and arousal, beginning or worsening  after the traumatic event(s) occurred, criterion C i.e duration of the disturbance (symptoms in Criterion B) is 3 days to 1 month after trauma exposure, criterion D i.e the disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational,or other important areas of functioning, and criterion E i.e the disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., medication or alcohol) or another medical condition (e.g., mild traumatic brain injury) and is not better explained by brief psychotic disorder. Symptoms of<unk>  include dissociative symptoms, symptoms of reexperiencing the traumatic event, avoidence symptoms, symptoms of anxiety or increased arousal,  symptoms of distress, chaotic and impulsive behavior, and post-concussive symptoms. The optimal therapy for<unk>  includes cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy. The mainstay of therapy for<unk>  is cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Pharmacologic medical therapies for<unk>  include beta blockers, alpha adrenergic agents, benzodiazepines and/or SSRIs.
Acute stress disorder
Acute stress reaction
Post traumatic stress disorder
Adjustment disorder
Complex post traumatic stress disorder
Somatization disorder
Situational depression
Somatoform disorder