Would You Diagnose PTSD, Depression, or Adjustment Disorder? One Patient. Three Diagnoses. Key Clinical Pearls You Should Know That Separate Them.

There are two kinds of clinicians—the ones who follow algorithms, and the ones who understand the “why.”

Patients know the difference. Know the WHY!

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Episode DescriptionOne patient. Three possible DSM-5 diagnoses. Only one is correct.

In this episode of Pearls & Prep, NPZ walks you through one of the most realistic—and challenging—psychiatric differential diagnoses you'll encounter in clinical practice. At first glance, this patient appears to meet criteria for PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Adjustment Disorder simultaneously. But as you'll discover, great psychiatric diagnosis isn't about memorizing DSM criteria—it's about asking the right questions.

Using a real-world clinical case, we'll slow down the diagnostic process and examine how experienced psychiatric clinicians separate normal grief, adjustment disorder, major depression, and PTSD without rushing to label every emotional response as mental illness.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to distinguish Adjustment Disorder vs Major Depressive Disorder

• When grief is normal—and when it becomes something more

• What actually qualifies as a Criterion A trauma for PTSD

• Why simply experiencing trauma does not automatically equal PTSD