Acute Stress Disorder

Acute Stress Disorder is a disorder that usually develops in the weeks following a traumatic event or stressor and can be characterized by the event or stressor creating intense fear or helplessness. This disorder is very common to post-traumatic stress disorder with similar symptoms, however acute stress disorder only lasts up to about a month, whereas PTSD is experienced much longer. In some cases, an acute stress disorder diagnosis can change to a PTSD diagnosis over time if symptoms persist.

The causes of acute stress disorder range from numerous traumatic events. Some of these traumatic events that can lead to the disorder include the death of a loved one, threat of harm to oneself, and threat of death to oneself or others.

Symptoms of acute stress disorder must include at least 9 of the following and be experienced for at least 3 days, but less than a month. ASD symptoms include dissociative symptoms, reexperiencing the traumatic event, avoidance symptoms, anxiety, and distress. Dissociative symptoms include detachment, depersonalization, and reduced awareness of surroundings. Reexperiencing the trauma can come in numerous forms, from feeling like they are reliving the event, to having recurring nightmares or flashbacks of the event. Avoidance is also a symptom that comes in many forms and occurs differently for everyone. People with ASD may avoid people or places that remind them of the trauma. They may also show this symptom by avoiding or changing the topic of a conversation away from the trauma or anything related to the trauma. Anxiety symptoms include difficulty sleeping, increased irritability, difficulty concentrating, and constantly being tense. Distress is a common symptom that can be explained by interfering or disrupting important life aspects, such as school or work. Functioning of daily tasks can be impaired and cause significant harm to aspects of the person’s life.

Acute stress disorder is relatively common to develop after experiencing a traumatic event, however ASD is temporary as it only lasts up to a month. ASD develops in a little over 20% of adults who have experienced a traumatic event. In adolescents who have survived trauma, at least 40% met criteria for ASD. Women are also more likely to be diagnosed, as 23% of women are diagnosed opposed to only 8% of men.

Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder is crucial, as without any treatment, the disorder can progress into PTSD which can last from 6 months to years with worsening symptoms. The most common form of treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, which has shown to have the most success. There are two main components of CBT. The first component includes changing cognitions, or thought patterns, surrounding the traumatic events. The second component is altering the behaviors relating to anxiety-inducing situations. The goal of CBT is to not only alleviate the symptoms of ASD, but only to prevent the progression into PTSD. Another form of treatment, which is less common, is medication. The purpose of medication treatment is to help reduce symptoms of anxiety and increased arousal. For medication to be most effective, it must be paired with CBT. The last form of treatment that can be incorporated to any treatment are stress-reducing strategies. These strategies include mindfulness, or being aware of the present and being in the moment, and relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing. Treatment of ASD is very important and should be done soon after the traumatic event and symptoms appear because if the symptoms last over a month, the diagnosis is PTSD and recovery is more difficult.