Compare and contrast acute and posttraumatic stress disorders and discuss how they are treated

What will be an ideal response?

Both acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are brought on by exposure to a traumatic stressor. They differ primarily in onset (the onset for ASD is within four weeks, and may be any time for PTSD) and duration (ASD lasts two to twenty-eight days, PTSD lasts longer than one month). They are characterized by anxiety and dissociative symptoms. The trauma involves possible death or severe injury and is experienced by the individual with intense fear or horror. It is relived through intrusive and distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks, nightmares, intense physiological reactivity, or distress when exposed to reminders of the event. It involves emotional numbing, or avoiding stimuli associated with the trauma, and may involve emotional withdrawal. It is also characterized by heightened autonomic arousal, which can include sleep disturbance, hypervigilance, irritability, and poor control over aggressive impulses.

ASD and PTSD are both treated with medications (particularly, SSRI antidepressant medications) or psychotherapy strategies that focus on extinguishing the fear to trauma-related stimuli or to correct dysfunctional cognitions that are thought to perpetuate symptoms of ASD and PTSD; or a combination of both medications and psychotherapy. Exposure to cues associated with the trauma involves the individual to immerse him/herself in a recreation of the traumatic event and allows extinction to occur; it also helps to correct erroneous cognitions associated with the traumatic event. Psychotherapists teach their clients to challenge dysfunctional cognitions, developing a solution-oriented attitude, reduce negative self-talk, practice relaxation, and stress management. Research indicates these strategies to be effective for a large majority of clients.