Table of contents:
- What is the difference between acute stress and PTSD?
- From definition
- From the symptoms experienced
- From the time the symptoms last
- From the treatment
Everyone feels stressed at least once in their life - whether it's because of household problems, finances at the end of the month, or because they are stuck in a traffic jam. However, not everyone has experienced acute stress. Yes, acute stress is very different from the daily stress you normally experience. Acute stress generally follows a traumatic event that you experience or witness. For example, natural disasters, domestic violence, traffic accidents, sexual violence, and returning from war.
At first glance, the notion of acute stress is very similar to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). So if both of them are triggered by severe trauma, what is the difference between acute stress and PTSD?
What is the difference between acute stress and PTSD?
From definition
Acute stress, or what has the full name accute stress disorder (ASD) is psychological shock that occurs as a response after experiencing or witnessing a terrible or traumatic event, which then causes a strong negative emotional reaction. Acute stress can also manifest itself as an anxiety disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a mental disorder that is triggered by flashback memories after experiencing or witnessing a terrible or traumatic event. Symptoms of acute stress and PTSD both cause negative emotional reactions. However PTSD can cause a person to experience panic attacks and anxiety attacks once they remember the traumatic event.
From the symptoms experienced
The symptoms of acute stress and PTSD are basically the same, which are grouped into 3 groups of symptoms:
- Re-experiencing: flashbacks, nightmares, terrifying imaginations, recalling the event, strong emotional response to reminders of the traumatic event.
- Avoidance: avoiding thoughts, conversations, feelings, places, and people that remind us of the incident; lose interest; dissociation; emotional numbness.
- Hyperarousal: trouble sleeping, irritability, angry outbursts, difficulty concentrating, panic attacks, anxiety attacks, shock, restlessness
What makes the difference is that PTSD symptoms generally include violent / risky / destructive behavior. PTSD also causes thoughts and assumptions that are too negative about yourself or the world around you, pessimism about the future, blame yourself or others for causing trauma, decreased interest in activities, and feel isolated. Symptoms of acute stress do not include these things.
However, acute stress causes a stronger dissociative effect than PTSD. Dissociation is defined as the "release" of self-awareness of thoughts, memories, feelings, and actions which can be partial or full. Dissociative symptoms are characterized by transient amnesia (difficulty remembering certain parts of the traumatic event) and rejection (feeling unrelated / not experiencing the event, or seeing the event from a third person perspective).
In most cases, the diagnosis of PTSD does not necessarily require the presence of dissociative symptoms.
From the time the symptoms last
The symptoms of acute stress and PTSD can overlap. What makes the difference is the length of time the symptoms last.
ASD symptoms will be happened soon after the traumatic event and occurred in a very short span of time. Based on the 2013 DSM-5 guidebook, a person is said to experience acute stress if the symptoms last from three days but less than 4 weeks after being exposed to a traumatic event. ASD symptoms are constant during this time, but will go away after 4 weeks.
Meanwhile, the diagnosis of PTSD can only be formalized when the symptoms of acute stress persist for more than a month or even up to years after initial exposure, and the symptoms can recur at any time when triggered.
In other words, the difference between acute stress and PTSD is time. If a person experiences these stress symptoms for more than a month, then it is clear that it is not ASD but PTSD. That's the difference between acute stress and PTSD at its best and most prominent.
Many cases of acute stress develop PTSD. However, not all cases of PTSD are that way. Many cases of PTSD have no prior history of acute stress.
From the treatment
Treatment for acute stress can involve consulting a psychologist and taking short-term prescribed antidepressants. Additional therapies such as yoga, acupuncture, meditation, or aromatherapy can also be used to reduce stress. Routinely consult a doctor or psychologist or mental health professional to develop a treatment program.
Meanwhile, PTSD has no cure. However, PTSD treatment usually includes a combination of CBT psychotherapy and counseling to help minimize your symptoms and change the way you think about the trauma.
Both acute stress and PTSD need to be treated quickly. People who experience it must also get support from their families and people around them so that they recover more quickly. If you don't get treatment right away, stress disorders can develop into major depression, eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders, and chronic anxiety disorders.
