Question:

A 21-year-old female presents with amnesia of events following her father's death in a road traffic accident. Symptoms have persisted for 2 weeks, and she experiences flashbacks. What is the most probable diagnosis?

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Trauma symptoms for less than 1 month = acute stress disorder; symptoms for more than 1 month = PTSD.
Updated On: May 14, 2026
  • Dissociative disorder
  • Major depression
  • PTSD
  • Acute stress disorder
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Concept: Acute stress disorder occurs after exposure to a traumatic event and presents with symptoms such as flashbacks, anxiety, emotional disturbance, and dissociative symptoms. The duration is from 3 days to 1 month after trauma.

Step 1:
Identify the traumatic event.
The patient developed symptoms after her father's death in a road traffic accident. This is a significant traumatic event.

Step 2:
Identify the symptoms.
She has: \[ \text{Amnesia + flashbacks} \] These are trauma-related symptoms.

Step 3:
Use the duration to differentiate.
The symptoms have persisted for: \[ 2 \text{ weeks} \] Since the duration is less than 1 month, the diagnosis is acute stress disorder, not PTSD. Therefore, the correct answer is Acute stress disorder.
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