Acute Stress Disorder Vs. PTSD: What’s The Difference?

Buy stress relief supplements.Experiencing a traumatic event can have a long-lasting effect on your emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. But there is no clear-cut way to tell when the event occurs and how it will entirely impact your life. For example, two people could experience the same traumatic event. Still, only one might develop psychological trauma while the other can simply move on without any lasting effects. The difference between the two often depends on each person’s mental stability and how he or she is able to process the traumatic event. It is normal to be upset and shaken up after a distressing or traumatic encounter.

What Is Acute Stress Disorder?

Acute stress disorder (ASD) first appeared as a new diagnosis in 1994 in the DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS, fourth edition (DSM-IV). The most current version, the DSM-V [1*]
, has since been released. ASD is a trauma-related disorder that occurs within one month of a traumatic event. It presents as severe psychological distress immediately following a traumatic event that significantly impacts a person’s life. ASD can last between three days up to a maximum of one month. Stress is a common symptom after trauma. However, the reason for introducing ASD in the diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM) as a mental health illness was to serve two goals.

Acute Stress Reactions Vs. Normal Stress Reaction

It is normal for humans to experience stress and emotional breakdown after any traumatic incident or grief. But what turns normal stress reactions acute? Acute means “present or experienced to a severe or intense degree.” Typically, stress has three stages. Once a person completes these three stress [2*]
stages, they enter into the recovery phase. However, if he/she fails to emerge from these stages, they may develop acute or chronic stress. It is essential to understand these stages and how the body responds.

Therefore, it’s easier to identify signs of chronic stress in yourself.

1. Alarm reaction stage:

This stage refers to the first symptoms the body experiences when under stress. Known as the physiological response of “fight-or-flight,” this natural reaction will either prepare you to protect (fight) or flee (flight). Physiological changes that happen during this process include:

An increase in heart rate
The release of cortisol (a stress hormone)
A boost of adrenaline (to increase energy)

2. Resistance stage:

In this stage, the body starts to repair itself. These changes include releasing less cortisol, and the heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal. Even though the body enters this recovery phase, it remains on high alert for a while. Some stressful situations continue for lengthened periods. If the stress is not resolved and your body remains on high alert, it eventually adapts and learns to live with a higher stress level.Buy stress relief supplements

3. Exhaustion stage:

Struggling with stress in the long term can drain your physical, emotional, and mental resources to the point where your body doesn’t have the strength to fight stress. You might feel your situation is hopeless and just give up. Signs of exhaustion include:

Anxiety
Fatigue
Burnout
Depression
Decreased stress tolerance

Risk Factors and Cause of ASD

The triggering of acute stress disorder lies in the traumatic event either experienced or witnessed by the person. According to the survey [3*].Buy stress relief supplements
-based studies, 20 to 90% of the overall population has experienced one or more extremely stressful events in their life. Despite this large number, only 1.3 to 11.2% of those with acute stress disorder developed the long-term symptomatic disease, such as PTSD.

Possible traumatic events that can lead to ASD include:

    Death of a loved one
    The threat of death or severe injury
    Natural disasters
    Motor vehicle accidents
    Sexual assault, rape, or domestic abuse
    Receiving a terminal diagnosis
    Surviving a traumatic brain injury

The following risk factors may lead to acute stress disorder:

    Female gender
    Intellectual disability
    Lack of education
    History of traumatic events
    History of psychiatric disorder(s)
    Personality disorder(s)
    Genetics
    Trauma severity
    Disability