according to American Psychological AssociationNearly 50% of Americans experience stress on a regular basis. Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are the most common stress disorders.
There is much skepticism regarding these two disorders. People are often confused about whether these two are the same or different. Well, the answer is a bit of both. Acute stress disorder and PTSD share many similarities and differences. Let us conclude acute stress disorder vs PTSD with their similarities.
Similarities Between Acute Stress Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
1. Origin point
There is no clear cause for anxiety disorders in some people, and others do not. However, both acute stress disorder and PTSD arise due to trauma. The causes of PTSD are similar to those of acute stress disorder. Traumatic life events like natural disasters, physical violence, assault, etc. are the reasons behind both.
In addition, other factors may also act as causes of these stress disorders. These include:
- concurrent mental health problems,
- drug abuse and
- Previous history of trauma.
2. Symptoms:
Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder have similar symptoms. These include:
- Intervention: recurring thoughts or flashbacks about the traumatic event,
- to avoid: trying to avoid traumatic memories,
- excitement: Being easily distracted and having trouble sleeping or being hypertonic, and
- negative mood: Unable to feel real happiness.
Read more: The difference between stress and anxiety
versus acute stress disorder. PTSD – the differences
1. Duration of symptoms:
The duration of acute stress disorder symptoms ranges from a minimum of three days to a maximum of four weeks. PTSD symptoms must persist for at least a month to be properly diagnosed. In addition, PTSD symptoms can persist for years.
2. Treatment options:
Treatment options vary between acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the early days of trauma, a health care professional can provide the support needed in the event of an acute stress disorder. On the following days the following treatments can be obtained:
- Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy: This type of talk therapy helps manage and deal with the symptoms of trauma.
- pharmaceutical: There are no specific medications for acute stress disorder. However, your doctor may prescribe anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants to help treat symptoms.
Disclaimer: The above medications should only be used after proper diagnosis and discussion with specialists. Unregulated use can be life threatening.
Psychotherapy and different types of medication are used as treatment options for PTSD. These include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: This type of therapy focuses on reformulating and restructuring the patient’s pattern of thoughts and behaviors.
- Group therapy: This type of therapy brings several individuals with PTSD together to share their feelings in a safe environment.
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conclusion:
Hopefully, you can finally deduce acute stress disorder vs PTSD as well as understand their similarities. Knowing the difference between mental health states is important to creating an environment of awareness. It helps people who are going through it and helps loved ones recognize signs and symptoms early and seek appropriate help. Early detection and treatment is key to recovering from mental health problems.
Now that you know Acute Stress Disorder vs PTSD, let’s take you to the differences between the two other mental illnesses. To learn more about the difference between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, click over here.
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