Dealing with acute stress disorder
IN the weeks after a traumatic event, you may develop an anxiety disorder called acute stress disorder (ASD). ASD typically occurs within one month of a traumatic event. It lasts at least three days and can persist for up to one month Experiencing, witnessing, or being confronted with one or more traumatic events can cause ASD. The events create intense fear, horror, or helplessness. Traumatic events that can cause ASD include death, threat of death to oneself or others, threat of serious injury to oneself or others, threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others.
It also includes financial meltdown, job loss and divorce.
Approximately six to 33 percent of people who experience a traumatic event develop ASD. The symptoms of ASD include: (a) Dissociative symptoms: ◆ Feeling numb, detached, or being emotionally unresponsive ◆ A reduced awareness of your surroundings ◆ De-realisation, which occurs when your environment seems strange or unreal to you ◆ Depersonalisation, which occurs when your
thoughts or emotions don’t seem real or do
not seem like they belong to you ◆ Dissociative amnesia, which occurs when you cannot remember one or more important aspects of the traumatic event (b) Re-experiencing the traumatic event: ◆ Having recurring images, thoughts, nightmares, illusions, or flashback episodes of the traumatic event ◆ Feeling like you’re reliving the traumatic event ◆ Feeling distressed when something reminds
you of the traumatic event (c) Avoidance: You may avoid stimuli that cause you to remember or re-experience the traumatic event, such as:
◆ People ◆ Conversations ◆ Places ◆ Objects ◆ Activities ◆ Thoughts ◆ Feelings (d) Anxiety or increased arousal: ◆ Having trouble sleeping ◆ Being irritable ◆ Having difficulty concentrating ◆ Being unable to stop moving or sit still ◆ Being constantly tense or on guard ◆ Becoming startled too easily Your psychiatrist may use one or more of the following methods to treat ASD: ◆ A psychiatric evaluation to determine your
specific needs ◆ Hospitalisation if you’re at risk of suicide or harming others ◆ Psychiatric education to teach you about your disorder ◆ Medication to relieve symptoms of ASD, such as anti-anxiety medications, and antidepressants ◆ Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which
may increase recovery speed and prevent ASD Stress levels have been generally high in our environment.
It is critical for one to recognise the symptoms for ASD in your self and those around you. It will help you in your interaction with individuals.
When symptoms are excessive help is available from your Psychiatrist and Psychologist.