Acute Stress Disorder and its Symptoms and Effects

Acute stress disorder occurs in more extreme circumstances where someone has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event that may have been life threatening or involved serious injury.

Symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder

Symptoms of acute stress disorder can include intense fear and horror, helplessness, and dissociative feelings of numbness, emotionless detachment. There may also be some level of amnesia with regard to recollection of the traumatic event.

The effects of acute stress disorder may also involve mentally replaying the traumatic experience involuntarily through dreams, flashbacks, recurring mental pictures, a feeling of reliving the event and distress when reminded of the trauma in any way.

Further symptoms of this disorder include irritability, sleep disorders, poor concentration, easily startled, physical restlessness, and strenuous avoidance of situations that act as reminders of the trauma.

These symptoms and effects of acute stress disorder may cause great distress and interfere with normal life; going to work, socializing and relationships.

It is always advisable to seek the help of a medical or psychiatric professional if feel that you are suffering from any of the above symptoms of acute stress disorder.

Acute stress or short-term stress is the most common form of stress. Acute stress occurs as a result of recent past pressures and near future demands. Moving house, changing jobs, traffic delays, unexpected problems, and just day to day hassles cause acute stress.

Sometimes, acute stress can be positive and exciting in short doses. But too much acute stress can lead to a symptom of stress detailed above. Usually rest, time, and the day to day changing circumstances will alleviate anxiety stress symptoms caused by acute short-term stress.

Such day to day acute stress doesn’t normally have enough time to cause any real health problems. Health problems can arise if you suffer from acute stress on a regular basis; for example if you’re always late or in a rush, or constantly trying to catch up at work, you may be in a perpetual state of acute stress disorder.