Evaluate the following concise clinical presentations and match each patient's symptom profile with the most accurate DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis.
- A young adult avoids airplanes and trains due to intense fears of being trapped if they experience a sudden, incapacitating medical emergency.Agoraphobia
- A patient has multiple recent emergency room visits for abrupt episodes of intense tachycardia and trembling, alongside ongoing dread of future episodes.Panic disorder
- An executive reports nearly a year of debilitating muscle tension and pervasive apprehension regarding routine daily matters.Generalized anxiety disorder
- A student experiences marked depressed mood and impaired academic performance beginning eight weeks after a romantic breakup.Adjustment disorder
- A trauma survivor reports vivid flashbacks, emotional numbing, and severe hypervigilance that have persisted for exactly three weeks since a violent robbery.Acute stress disorder
Answer
The correct matches align the avoidance of entrapment to Agoraphobia, unexpected autonomic surges to Panic Disorder, chronic 12-month worry to Generalized Anxiety Disorder, post-breakup impairment to Adjustment Disorder, and 3-week post-trauma symptoms to Acute Stress Disorder.
Each vignette represents a classic presentation of a distinct disorder. The key differentiators are the specific nature of the feared situation (e.g., being trapped without help in agoraphobia vs. fearing the panic attacks themselves in panic disorder) and strict symptom duration (e.g., 3 weeks for acute stress disorder, >6 months for generalized anxiety disorder).
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Differentiating anxiety and trauma-related disorders requires integrating the primary fear trigger with specific symptom duration thresholds.
Estimated Time:1m 30s