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Learn more about our exciting new summer programs for school and college transitions.
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Dear Parent,
Welcome to Anxiety Institute’s Newsletter: Anxiety Defined.
This month’s topic is acute stress disorder.
Acute stress disorder is an often misunderstood diagnosis. It’s not about feeling super stressed at any given moment. Rather, it’s a specific response to a distressing event that happened in a given moment. Acute stress disorder typically occurs after experiencing a traumatic event, such as an accident or a death in the family, and can happen at all ages.
Acute stress disorder is separate from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it can become PTSD if left untreated. If you know or suspect that something traumatic has happened to your child, or recent pressures have reached the tipping point, we urge you to seek care as soon as possible.
Let’s take a closer look at the signs and symptoms of acute stress disorder.
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THIS MONTH'S TOPIC:
Types of Anxiety Defined
Acute Stress Disorder
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Acute stress disorder is a short-term mental health condition that can occur within the first month after experiencing a traumatic event. It can affect a person at any stage of life — childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Teens and young adults with anxiety are more susceptible to acute stress disorder after traumatic events, such as a death in the family or a bad accident. For teenagers and young adults, acute stress can arise from exams, social pressures, family issues, or significant life changes.
It is also possible that your child may choose not to reveal a traumatic event that happened. Look for sudden changes in behavior, such as detachment, disruptions in sleeping or eating patterns, or avoidance of typical activities or locations.
Watch our in-house expert, Stacey Dobrinsky, PhD, explain how to recognize the emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms of acute stress disorder and how to treat it.
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Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the proven treatment of acute stress disorder. CBT employs two primary strategies. First, it aims to change cognitions, or patterns of thought, surrounding the traumatic incident. Second, it changes the negative behaviors associated with the traumatic event. By working on both thought and behavior, CBT can relieve both the symptoms and source of anxiety-related disorders.
Acute stress disorder differs from PTSD in the timeframe in which it occurs. Acute stress disorder happens shortly after the traumatic event, whereas PTSD is a more prolonged response. It is important to seek help as quickly as possible after a traumatic event to ensure that it does not develop into PTSD.
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Insight from a Professional
- Acute stress typically occurs as a reaction to a traumatic event whose impact may reverberate throughout a family, or even an entire community. Accessing timely, trauma-focused therapy can address the impact of acute stress and stave off long-term consequences.
- The impact of a traumatic event can look different for different people, even members of a single family. Allowing time and space for family or community members to process their individual stress reactions, with the help of a trauma-informed therapist, can aid in healthy recovery and promote future resilience.
For the Teen or Young Adult:
Judge-less-ness.
OK, we made up that word, but the concept is real. When a negative thought or interaction comes to mind, try not to judge it. Look at it as if you were watching an uninteresting video. It’s just something that happened and don’t assign any positive or negative importance to it. Let it fly.
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A Note from our Director
As parents, our role is to provide guidance, support, and unconditional love as our children navigate the ups and downs of life. By being aware of acute stress and equipping ourselves with strategies to help our teens and young adults cope, we can empower them to thrive in the face of challenges.
Together, we can help our teens build resilience and navigate life's stressors with confidence.
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Dina
Nunziato, PhD
Chief Clinical Officer
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Further Reading
Here is a quick overview of acute stress disorder from the Cleveland Clinic.
The Veterans Administration has written an in-depth comparison of acute stress disorder and PTSD.
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Anxiety Institute Announces Summer Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and our New Back-to-School Transition Programs! | |
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Anxiety Institute offers summer programs for clients whose anxiety, avoidance, and somatic symptoms peak during midterms, final exams, or transitions back-to-school. If your child has this profile, Anxiety Institute’s summer programs may be appropriate.
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Summer IOP
Our program provides customized, comprehensive care for teens and young adults, ages 13–25, struggling with OCD and anxiety. This program offers a structured, yet flexible, approach providing more individual attention for clients than any other IOP. Our professionally trained clinicians utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as their core modality, employing daily exposure therapy which allows clients to gradually confront their fears and rewire their brain by desensitizing the anxiety response.
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August Back-to-School Transition Programs
Ten-Day Programs: August 12th - 23rd - 4 hours a day
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As the school year draws to a close and summer plans take shape, you may be anticipating the challenges of supporting your child’s transition back to school, especially if anxiety, avoidance, and somatic symptoms have been prevalent throughout the academic year. Our Back-to-School Intensive Programs offer targeted support for students ages 12–21 to overcome these hurdles and thrive academically and socially. Equipped with preparedness skills, students return to middle school, high school, or college armed with the essential tools to tackle academic pressures and social challenges. Two programs are offered: School Transition Program (for middle/high school students), and College Readiness Program (for college-bound students aged 17–21). | |
Both programs are now open for enrollment. Contact us today at (844) 881-1846 or visit www.anxietyinstitute.com to learn more and secure your spot. | |
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For clinical questions or referrals,
please contact our Clinical Outreach Specialists:
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Anxiety Institute is a clinical research center specializing in acute anxiety disorders that uses advanced, proven techniques while nurturing the patient in their local home environment. Utilizing the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatments, our intensive services focus on treating teens and young adults, while coaching the parents who guide them. Locations in Madison, NJ; Greenwich, CT; and McLean, VA.
anxietyinstitute.com
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