Pet problems
Clive R. Hollin in An Introduction to Human–Animal Relationships, 2021
In the clinical literature the distinction is drawn between acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress may be thought of as a normal physical and psychological reaction to a highly aversive event, such as an accident, a bereavement, or a threat to the person. The acute stress reaction takes place immediately or within hours of the event. The individual's initial state of shock and disorientation is followed either by withdrawal from the situation or by agitation and symptoms of panic such as tachycardia and perspiration. In some cases, partial or complete amnesia for the episode may occur. The acute stress reaction subsides and expires within hours or days of the stressful event. In contrast, a chronic stress reaction may result when the acute stress does not dissipate or if the cause of the stress remains present. The unmitigated combination of acute and chronic stress may culminate in post-traumatic stress disorder (Bryant et al., 2017).
The Forensic Examination of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Jacqueline Garrick, Mary Beth Williams in Trauma Treatment Techniques, 2014
Step 5. The next step is for the examiner to differentiate a diagnosis of PTSD from Adjustment Disorder, Anxiety Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Other Mental Disorders Resulting from Exposure to a Traumatic Stressor Event, and Acute Stress Disorder. First et al. (1995, p. 170) write that PTSD has a “specific response pattern” while an Adjustment Disorder does not. This specific response pattern can last a lifetime (if left untreated or treated unsuccessfully) and is delineated in the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) by the five major segments of a PTSD diagnosis: actual or threatened death or serious injury, intense fear, re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and arousal symptoms. On the other hand, stress brought on by an Adjustment Disorder is neither patterned nor delineated in the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) and can last for only six months (acute) or as long as the stressor event lasts (chronic). In contrast, PTSD usually lasts long after the stressor event has concluded. Similarly, Acute Stress Disorder has a dissimilar pattern from that of PTSD and involves symptoms that exist for no longer than one month following the conclusion of the traumatic experience.
Seeking Help for Mental Health Problems Early
Leanne Rowe, Michael Kidd in Every Doctor, 2018
Acute stress disorder is defined as a short-term reaction to trauma that impairs a person’s ability to function. It usually lasts between two days and four weeks. After experiencing an episode of trauma, it is a normal reaction to have cycling of strong emotions, usually for about 10 days. The cycling often involves intrusive memories of the event and avoidance behaviour, sometimes with associated feelings of numbness and denial.
Early Hypnotic Intervention After Traumatic Events in Children
Published in American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 2020
PTSD began to be acknowledged in children after a dramatic incident in Chowchilla and the work of Leonor Terr in 1976. Terr followed 25 children who had been buried alive in a bus and who had managed to escape (Terr, 1991). She studied them for 4 years and described two types of trauma: type I; defined as a single isolated event (car accident or fire), and type II characterized by numerous events repeated over a period of time (abuse or war). After an initial phase of acute distress (called acute stress disorder) and sometimes months to years after the causative event, victims may develop specific re-experiences or recurrent memory symptoms, a phobic syndrome (exposure distress, avoidance, and anticipatory anxiety), increased arousal, and hypervigilance. These symptoms must last at least 1 month to be diagnosed as PTSD.
Variation in trauma-related behavioral effects using a preclinical rat model of three predator exposure stress
Published in Stress, 2022
Emily Scott, Matthew May, Gabriella Silva, Rachel Taylor, Nicole Fenlon, Emily Lowery-Gionta, Liana Matson
Traumatic stress exposure can result in Acute Stress Reactions (ASRs), Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), and/or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis (APA, 2013; WHO, 1993). The symptom classification criteria for ASR include transient emotional, cognitive, somatic, and behavioral symptoms presenting immediately and lasting up to 30 days, while ASD and PTSD classifications include symptom domains of intrusion, negative mood, dissociation, avoidance, and arousal presenting 3–30 days or over 30 days following trauma exposure, respectively. Adler and Svetlitzky (Adler et al., 2020) reported that 45% of Soldiers observed team members who exhibited symptoms of an ASR during combat. Of individuals exposed to trauma, 7–28% develop ASD and 4–38% develop PTSD (Bryant et al., 2012; Kessler et al., 1995; Milliken et al., 2007; Scofield et al., 2017). Acute and chronic trauma-related symptoms are prevalent following trauma exposure and detrimental to daily functioning.
The effect of stillbirth and late termination of pregnancy on the emergence of post-traumatic symptoms among attending medical personnel
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2022
Adi Borovich, Jonathan E. Handelzalts, Sigal Levy, Karin Rafenberg, Liat Borovich, Sarah Dollinger, Yoav Peled, Daniel I. Nassie, Haim Krissi
A traumatic event is regarded as an extraordinary event that impairs one’s normal ability to adjust to life events. These events are usually a result of either a life threating event or a close encounter with death and violence which confronts the individual with feelings of helplessness (Herman 2015). The psychological reaction may vary between individuals. Some may experience an acute stress reaction (ASR) (APA 2013), which is a normal, temporary reaction, that is usually accompanied with both psychological and autonomic symptoms (anxiety, panic and flashbacks). ASR usually resolves within hours or days. If this reaction lingers on for more than a month, the individual may be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is defined as a disorder that develops in response to an event associated that elicited real or perceived threat of death or physical harm to the person or to others, with four clusters of symptoms characterising the disorder: re-experiencing aspects of the event, persistent avoidance of reminders of the event, negative cognitions and mood, and hyperarousal (APA 2013). While the initial research began with ex-combatant patients, it is now recognised that PTSD can develop following any traumatic event, such as earthquakes (Lai et al. 2004; Dell'Osso et al. 2011), sexual abuse (Herman 2015; Hébert et al. 2016), childbirth (Handelzalts et al. 2021) as well as other traumatic events.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Dissociative Amnesia
- Hypervigilance
- Sleep Disorder
- Startle Response
- Psychology
- Psychological Trauma
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Mood
- Dissociation
- Dissociative Identity Disorder