Acute Stress Disorder - management update
20 to 90 percent of the population globally is exposed to one or more extreme stressful events during the course of their life. Acute stress disorder is a psychiatric pathology that can have physiological manifestations (such as tachycardia). As such, careful behavior observation and patient's medical history narrative are of immense value. General management should include: emotional and practical support, patient safety, followups and suicidality. The treatment of choice is psychotherapy, namely a trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy. Pharmacotherapy has been widely discussed as there is no high-quality evidence for a specific treatment agent. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, second-generation antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and beta-blockers are among the most effective regimen options. Sleep disturbance has to be taken into consideration and may be addressed with Prazosin.