Acute stress disorder laboratory findings
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Simrat Sarai, M.D. [2]
Overview
Physical Examination
Appearance of the patient
Patients may be disheveled and unclean and may show the effects of dehydration and failure to care for themselves
Mental status examination
- The mental status examination is used to assess the patient's current mental condition
- Affect and mood
- Patients may appear anxious, sad, irritable, apathetic, emotionally labile, angry, or calm
- Thought content
- Individuals may feel helpless, be confused, be in a state of disbelief, have markedly impaired concentration, have lowered self-esteem, or be driven to search for the deceased
- Perceptions
- Patients may have visual or auditory hallucinations that the deceased person is present; feelings of unreality, flashbacks, numbness, and denial may occur
- Judgment and insight
- Confusion in combination with preoccupation with those they have lost may be present that impair an individuals’ judgment and insight
- Suicidal or homicidal ideation
- Suicidal thoughts occur in as many as approximately 54% of survivors and may continue up to 6 months after the death; thoughts or plans of homicide may be present