Signs & Symptoms

To see, for example, the Challenger spacecraft burst into flames as it left its trajectory and to realize that the people in that spacecraft had been instantly killed horrified many of us. If such an event leaves a person suddenly dazed and emotionally unresponsive to the point where they are unable to carry on with normal daily activities, they may be suffering from what is now called acute stress disorder.

Symptoms of acute stress disorder usually begin within four weeks of the event and last anywhere from two days to four weeks. To qualify for an acute stress disorder diagnosis, the event has to have involved death or threatened death or serious physical injury to either the person or to others. The person also has to have experienced intense fear, horror or helplessness at the time of the event. If these elements have occurred, then, not unlike posttraumatic stress disorder, people suffering from acute distress disorder feel numb and detached, act dazed, and can't remember important parts of the event. The person also relives the event in dreams, flashbacks, images, thoughts and recollections.

Although perhaps for only a short while, people try to avoid activities, people and places that remind them of the event as well. Symptoms such as insomnia, poor concentration, irritability and being easily startled are also common.