Teens have experienced a number of traumatic events over the past few years. From a global pandemic, to school shootings, to natural disasters, these events can leave lasting wounds. As a parent, it is important to understand the impact of trauma and why getting immediate support for your teen is important. Teens who have experienced a traumatic event are at risk of developing acute stress disorder, which can in turn lead to more serious mental health conditions, including PTSD.
Key Takeaways
- Teens who experience a school shooting, natural disaster, death, car accident or other traumatic event are at risk for acute stress disorder (ASD).
- ASD and PTSD have similar symptoms but have key differences. For ASD, symptoms typically occur within 3 days to 4 weeks of a traumatic event, while PTSD symptoms must last for more than 1 month.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered the most effective treatment for ASD. CBT helps teens to shift their thought patterns surrounding the traumatic incident.
- Newport Academy offers a safe, nurturing space for teens ages 12-18 to heal.
What is Acute Stress Disorder?
Acute stress disorder (ASD) is a response to a traumatic event. Teens who experience a school shooting, natural disaster, death, car accident or other traumatic event are at risk for acute stress disorder. In fact, up to one-third of people who experience a traumatic event develop acute stress disorder, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Acute stress disorder typically develops within one month of a traumatic incident. Consequently, teens with ASD experience a variety of distressing symptoms. These symptoms may last just a few days or as long as a month.
The diagnosis of acute stress disorder was originally developed in the early 20th century to identify soldiers susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More recently, the definition has been expanded to include anyone with an extreme psychological reaction to trauma.
Moreover, symptoms of acute traumatic stress are similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And if ASD is left untreated, it can progress into PTSD.
Risk Factors for Acute Stress Disorder
Traumatic events that can cause ASD include death, threat of death to oneself or others, and threat of serious injury to oneself or others. As a result, such events create feelings of intense fear, horror, and/or helplessness. Teens who directly experience a traumatic event are at risk for ASD. Furthermore, teenagers who witness such an event are also at risk. The likelihood of a teen developing ASD depends on the extent of their exposure to the event.
For example, if a teen is injured in a school shooting or car accident, teens are more likely to experience symptoms of acute stress disorder. If they observed violence or disaster firsthand, but weren’t injured, they may also develop ASD. But the symptoms will probably be less severe.
In fact, even teens who simply hear about a traumatic event can develop ASD. Therefore, parents should be aware of the effect of disaster or violence on children and teens. Such events can have an impact even if kids only hear about them online or see them on television.
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Diagnosing an Acute Stress Disorder in Teens
For a teen to receive an ASD diagnosis, symptoms must occur within four weeks of the traumatic event. Moreover, symptoms must last for a minimum of three days and a maximum of four weeks. In addition, the criteria exclude symptoms caused or exaggerated by substance use, a preexisting medical condition, or a brief psychotic disorder.
Moreover, teens with ASD experience three or more of the following signs of acute stress:
- Feelings of numbness and detachment
- Lack of emotional response
- Being in a daze, with reduced awareness of one’s surroundings
- Derealization—when your environment seems strange or unreal
- Depersonalization—when your thoughts or emotions don’t seem real or don’t seem as if they belong to you
- Dissociative amnesia—inability to remember an important aspect of the traumatic incident
Symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder
The symptoms of ASD fall into four main categories. Moreover, these symptoms are common among many types of stress disorders.
1. Intrusion Symptoms
- Distressing memories of the traumatic event
- Recurring dreams about the event
- Flashback episodes that create a sense of reliving the event
- Distress when exposed to reminders of the event
2. Negative Mood
- Inability to experience positive emotions, such as happiness or love
- Finding it difficult or impossible to enjoy activities that were previously pleasurable, or feeling guilty about doing everyday tasks as if things were normal
Furthermore, for ASD to be diagnosed, symptoms must cause significant distress or impairment in a teen’s life. That includes school, work, socializing, and relationships with family and friends.
3. Dissociative Symptoms
- A sense of time slowing down
- Seeing oneself from the outside, as if from another person’s perspective
- Being in a daze or fog
- Feeling detached from one’s body
- Experiencing the world as unreal or dreamlike
- Difficulty recalling specific details of the traumatic event
4. Arousal Symptoms
- Anxiety
- Trouble sleeping
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Inability to stop moving or to sit still
- Being constantly tense or on guard
- Easily startled, sometimes for no particular reason
- Physical restlessness
5. Avoidance Symptoms
Avoiding anything associated with the traumatic event, including:
- Memories
- Thoughts
- Feelings
- Conversations
- Objects
- People
- Places
Acute Stress Disorder and the “Fight or Flight” Response
Stress is an automatic response in the face of a perceived danger. It triggers a surge of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Consequently, these hormones temporarily activate and heighten the part of the nervous system known as the sympathetic nervous system. This is called the acute stress response, or the “fight-or-flight” response.
Here’s what happens in the body when an acute stress reaction occurs:
- The heart starts beating faster than normal
- Pulse rate and blood pressure go up
- Breath becomes more rapid and the chest feels tight
- Muscles tense
- Mouth gets dry
- You may feel flushed and sweaty
- Vision may narrow
- Hearing may become more sensitive
When individuals have ASD, they experience this acute stress reaction more frequently, as a result of memories, flashbacks, or other triggers.
Acute Stress Disorder vs. PTSD in Teens
Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder have many symptoms in common. In the first four weeks, these symptoms are diagnosed as ASD. Subsequently, experts diagnose PTSD in teenagers when symptoms last for more than a month and cause significant distress. Therefore, many people with ASD are later diagnosed with PTSD.
Moreover, PTSD encompasses several symptoms that are not part of an ASD diagnosis. These include risky or destructive behavior, extremely negative thoughts about oneself or the world, and exaggerated blame of oneself or others for causing the trauma. PTSD requires meeting a certain number of symptoms within established clusters, while ASD symptoms are not classified within clusters.
Early treatment of ASD may reduce a teen’s chances of developing PTSD. And treatment immediately after a PTSD diagnosis also improves recovery time.
Read “Trauma and PTSD in Teens: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment.”
Treating Acute Stress Disorder
Teens should receive medical treatment within a few hours of experiencing a traumatic event. Therefore, their likelihood of developing ASD is reduced. Untreated, ASD can progress and lead to other mental health disorders, such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, or panic disorder, as well as thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Teens may also turn to substances to cope with the pain of the traumatic event.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered the most effective treatment for acute stress disorder. CBT helps teens to shift their thought patterns surrounding the traumatic incident. Moreover, teens learn new coping mechanisms to use in anxiety-provoking situations. In addition, CBT attempts to prevent PTSD from developing. Research suggests that CBT treatment in the first month after trauma has long-term benefits for people who are at risk of developing PTSD.
Moreover, research—including recent study on the effect of mindfulness therapy on the stress levels of university students—has found that mindfulness practices are effective for reducing burnout, distress, anxiety, and depression as well as significantly improving life satisfaction, gratitude, and self-compassion. Mindfulness meditation encourages teens to witness their emotions from a distance rather than getting caught up in them. In addition, researchers believe that the slow, conscious breathing practiced in yoga and meditation calms the sympathetic nervous system. Therefore, it slows the “fight or flight” response produced by acute stress disorder.
Start the Healing Journey Today
If your child is suffering with acute stress disorder, Newport Academy offers a safe, nurturing place to heal. Our multidisciplinary, compassionate staff is ready to support your teen every step of the way. We are proud to include TRICARE as part of our expansive list of insurance partnerships to make care more affordable and attainable. Additionally, Newport is responding to growing mental health needs by offering specialized, evidence-based programming for OCD, SUD, and LGBTQ+ for children ages 7–11 and adolescents ages 12–18.
Contact us today for a confiential call. Our admissions team can guide you through the admissions process and which level of care is most appropriate for your child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
StatPearls. Jan 2024
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. Feb 2024. doi: 10.1155/2024/8872685
US Department of Veterans Affairs
American Psychiatric Association
