What is Acute Stress Disorder?

 

Acute Stress Disorder refers to symptoms that follow a traumatic event for up to one month after the event.  The trauma survivor may endorse dissociative symptoms such as a sense of emotional numbness or detachment, feeling that one is in a “daze,” derealization, depersonalization, and dissociative amnesia (i.e., being unable to recall important parts of the trauma). In addition, the trauma survivor may re-experience the trauma in some way, such as through dream or nightmares, intrusive thoughts or images, and flashbacks. The trauma survivor may engage in behaviors that avoid reminding him or her of the event. Acute stress disorder may be accompanied by feelings of anxiety, depression, irritability, and hyperarousal. These symptoms must cause significant distress and impairment.

In most cases, acute stress disorder resolves itself in about a month. In some instances, it may turn into posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over time. Counseling focused on exposure and relaxation techniques can help treat acute stress disorder and keep it from eventually transforming into PTSD.