Acute stress disorder
Meaning of acute stress disorder: For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, acute stress disorder means a disorder of mental health which meets the following criteria (derived from DSM-5-TR): A. The individual is exposed to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways: (i) directly experiencing the traumatic event (s) ; (ii) witnessing, in person, the event (s) as it occurred to others; (iii) learning that the event (s) occurred to a close family member or close friend. In cases of actual or threatened death of a family member or friend, the event (s) must have been violent or accidental; or (iv) experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event (s) (for example, first responders collecting human remains, police officers repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse). This does not apply to exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless this exposure is work related; and B. The presence of nine (or more) of the following symptoms from any of the five categories of intrusion, negative mood, dissociation, avoidance, and arousal, beginning or worsening after the traumatic event (s) occurred: I
Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 95 of 2022
At least one of the following factors must as a minimum exist before it can be said that a reasonable hypothesis has been raised connecting acute stress disorder or death from acute stress disorder with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
- (1)experiencing a category 1A stressor within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: category 1A stressor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (2)experiencing a category 1B stressor within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: category 1B stressor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (3)having a significant other who experiences a category 1A stressor within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: category 1A stressor and significant other are defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (4)experiencing the traumatic death of a significant other within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: significant other and traumatic death are defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (5)being exposed to repeated or extreme aversive details of severe traumatic events within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: being exposed to repeated or extreme aversive details of severe traumatic events is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (6)experiencing severe childhood abuse within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: severe childhood abuse is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (7)inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for acute stress disorder;
Aggravation-only factors: the factors in subsection 9(7) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, the condition where it was suffered or contracted before or during (but did not arise out of) the person’s relevant service.
Balance of Probabilities (BoP) — Statement of Principles No. 96 of 2022
7 factors
At least one of the following factors must exist before it can be said that, on the balance of probabilities, acute stress disorder or death from acute stress disorder is connected with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
- (1)experiencing a category 1A stressor within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: category 1A stressor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (2)experiencing a category 1B stressor within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: category 1B stressor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (3)having a significant other who experiences a category 1A stressor within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: category 1A stressor and significant other are defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (4)experiencing the traumatic death of a significant other within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: significant other and traumatic death are defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (5)being exposed to repeated or extreme aversive details of severe traumatic events within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: being exposed to repeated or extreme aversive details of severe traumatic events is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (6)experiencing severe childhood abuse within the 30 days before the clinical onset of acute stress disorder;
Note: severe childhood abuse is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (7)inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for acute stress disorder;
Aggravation-only factors: the factors in subsection 9(7) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, the condition where it was suffered or contracted before or during (but did not arise out of) the person’s relevant service.
