[Post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder]

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling chronic disorder, which is often under-diagnosed, difficult to treat and to predict. The emotional and physical symptoms occur in three clusters: re-experiencing the trauma, avoidance of reminders of the event and hyperarousal for at least one month. Up to 80% of patients with PTSD have another psychiatric disorder. The main risk factors of PTSD are psychiatric and trauma history, trauma severity, peritraumatic dissociation and lack of social support. Treatment relies on psychotherapies like cognitive behavior therapy or EMDR and pharmacologic treatment like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors without neglecting the forensic aspect.