What distinguishes Acute Stress Disorder from PTSD regarding symptom onset?

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) is characterized by the onset of anxiety, intrusive memories, and other symptoms following a traumatic event. A key differentiating factor between Acute Stress Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the timing of symptom onset.

For ASD, symptoms must occur within one month of the traumatic experience, which is crucial for diagnosis. This timeframe allows clinicians to distinguish between immediate reactions to trauma (ASD) and more prolonged responses that develop later (PTSD). In contrast, PTSD is diagnosed when symptoms persist for more than one month after the trauma has occurred and cause significant distress or impairment in functioning.

Therefore, the distinction lies primarily in the timing of when symptoms present themselves relative to the trauma, with ASD happening within one month, making this option the correct choice.