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International Handbook of Traumatic Stress Syndromes pp 49–60Cite as

Stress-Response Syndromes

A Review of Posttraumatic Stress and Adjustment Disorders

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Part of the The Plenum Series on Stress and Coping book series (SSSO)

Abstract

The signs and symptoms of response to a stressful life event are expressed in two predominant phases: the intrusive state, characterized by unbidden ideas and feelings and even compulsive actions, and the denial state, characterized by emotional numbing and constriction of ideation. In this review of stress-response syndromes, I will outline those phases, discuss the DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980) diagnoses for stressresponse disorders, and consider the mutual etiologic effects of stressful life events, psychiatric disorders, and preexisting conflicts or functional deficits. Guidelines for brief dynamic psychotherapy for patients who need more than transient support are presented.

Keywords

  • Traumatic Event
  • Stressful Life Event
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • Denial State
  • Adjustment Disorder

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94143, USA

    Mardi J. Horowitz

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  1. Mardi J. Horowitz
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    John P. Wilson

  2. University of Queensland, Herston, Australia

    Beverley Raphael

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Horowitz, M.J. (1993). Stress-Response Syndromes. In: Wilson, J.P., Raphael, B. (eds) International Handbook of Traumatic Stress Syndromes. The Plenum Series on Stress and Coping. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2820-3_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2820-3_4

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