An Update of Acute Stress Disorder

It is nearly 20 years since DSM-IV introduced the diagnosis of acute stress disorder (ASD). At the time there was relatively little research substantiating the role or definition of diagnosis, but its introduction promoted an unprecedented amount of research into acute stress reactions after trauma. As we approach the introduction of DSM-5, it is timely to review what we now know about acute traumatic stress and how this is influencing the new definition of the ASD diagnosis.