Are you stressed? We all are. But how many of us are really aware of the effects that stress has on our emotional and psychological welfare? I was reading through some articles and I came across some interesting information regarding stress I thought I would share with you.
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.


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