Acute Stress Disorder - SafeHaven Trauma Centre

Acute stress disorder has all the symptoms of PTSD except the symptoms occur during the first 4 weeks after a traumatic event.

Whilst the response is considered normal, and a large majority of people adapt and are well on the road to recovery after 4 weeks, the symptoms can create further distress. Where this is the case additional support can assist the recovery process during this time.

Some of the signs of include:
•    Uncontrollable memories that recreate the sights, sounds, smells and even tastes of what happened at the time of the trauma; having flashback, re-experiencing what happened.
•    Persistent intrusive thoughts about what happened, distracting you from thinking or doing anything else.
•    A change in behavior, where you attempt to avoid anything that may trigger traumatic memories.
•    Feeling hyper-vigilant and ‘on-edge’ constantly, and being unable to relax.
•    Finding your thinking becoming very negative, feeling very low in mood and detached from life.