Recognizing Acute Stress

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Title: Recognizing Acute Stress

Word Count: 813

Author: Trevor Dumbleton

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Recognizing Acute Stress

Copyright 2005 Trevor Dumbleton

For those who are familiar with stress, there is a distinct

difference between regular stress and acute stress. While

regular stress is a part of daily life in the hectic world

of today, acute stress is an altogether different animal.

While stress is certainly a problem, considering that it

can cause a weakening of the immune system, problems with

memory, an inability to concentrate, and coronary disease,

acute stress is something else. In fact, acute stress can

actually cause a complete mental and physical breakdown.

Acute stress is caused by the most severe circumstances.

It is often the result of threatened or actual death,

serious injury, or some form of physical violation, such as

rape. The person suffering from acute stress usually feels

some sort of revulsion or horror at the sight of the event,

or from the experience of the event. Then, after acute

stress, the person is at serious risk of developing

post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, the

experience of acute stress can have lasting, even permanent

effects upon the person who suffered the acute stress and

they may not be able to fully adjust to life after the

event.

Acute stress is, at its core, a form of psychological

trauma, not unlike physical trauma. The person is in such

a form of mental distress that the brain is almost

incapable of coping with the stress and shuts down. The

person who suffers from acute stress feels a sense of

numbness and they are unable to connect to the world

outside. They cannot adjust to the reality that surrounds

them and they are, in many ways, stuck in the moment when

they suffered the acute stress.

The problem with acute stress is that it creates a sort of

loop tape in the person's mind, in which they continually

replay the event over and over again without being able to

stop it. The event is so completely consuming and yet so

terrible that the person who lived through it continues to

think about it until they are almost incapable of moving

beyond it.

Unfortunately, the results of acute stress are not merely

limited to inward issues. If left unchecked, acute stress

can result in anxiety, inability to concentrate,

post-traumatic stress disorder, and even nervous breakdown.

Thus, acute stress is no minor issue. In fact, it must be

dealt with quickly in order to prevent serious

repercussions upon the mind.

If the symptoms of acute stress, such as detachment,

anxiety, or a general desire to avoid anything that may

remind the person of the event that caused the acute

stress, it is generally considered that the acute stress

has transitioned into post-traumatic stress disorder.

Thus, anyone who has suffered acute stress should seek some

sort of treatment so that this does not happen.

The first form of treatment that comes to most peoples'

minds is psychotherapy. The sessions with a psychiatrist

or psychologist are at least familiar to people and they

are very useful for treating acute stress. However, many

people shy away from psychotherapy simply because of the

stigma attached to it.

Another method of therapy for acute stress is cognitive

behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is designed to help people

deal with their problems or fears through a combination of

treatments all working toward the same goal. The cognitive

portion of CBT treats the mind and helps it think

differently about its memories. Then, the behavioral

portion helps the person by exposing them to things that

will force them to confront their fears or their problems.

The behavioral method is already well known as a treatment

for phobias and the cognitive treatment is familiar from

psychotherapy. However, by combining these methods into

one holistic treatment, CBT can bring about some very good

results.

Another method for combating acute stress and its aftermath

is through medication. Depending on the symptoms, a doctor

might prescribe an antidepressant, an anti-anxiety drug, or

perhaps some other form of medication. However, people

must be very careful with these mood-altering medications,

since they do tend to alter the way they think. Thus,

people taking medications like these must monitor

themselves and see how they react to their effects.

Overall, acute stress is manageable and it is treatable.

And it should be treated, as it can lead to depression,

anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even a

complete mental breakdown.

Though people may think that they are handling it fine,

acute stress is a form of mental trauma that is essentially

comparable to physical trauma; the more severe the trauma,

the more severe the results on the person. Thus, anyone

who has suffered from some traumatic experience that

doesn't seem to want to go away should seek treatment as

soon as possible. Though people can't change what happened

to them, they can do something to prevent the memories of

it from taking over their lives.

About the Author:

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