Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

What are post-traumatic stress and acute stress disorders?

PTSD and ASD are anxiety conditions that occur after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event in which their life or safety (or the life or safety of someone else) was threatened. Events that commonly lead to trauma include, but are not limited to:

Seeing someone killed or badly injured, or seeing someone close to you in mortal danger
Being in an accident that could have led to death
Being a victim of rape or sexual assault

There are three main features of PTSD and ASD:

Re-experiencing the traumatic event
- Having repeated distressing memories of the event that you cannot control
- Repeatedly having dreams about the event
- Repeatedly feeling or acting as though you are reliving the event (sometimes taking the form or flashbacks or hallucinations)
- Feeling great emotional distress or physical agitation when something reminds you of the traumatic event
Avoiding things or situations that remind you of the trauma, along with feelings of emotional numbness
- Trying to avoid thoughts, feelings, conversations, activities, people, or places that remind you of the trauma
- Difficulty remembering important parts or events that took place during the trauma
- Feeling less interest in activities you normally enjoy
- Feeling detached from others
- Feeling like you can’t experience a full range of emotions
- Feeling like the future is uncertain or that you don’t have a future
Feeling physically anxious, jumpy, or on-edge
- Difficulty sleeping
- Acting in an irritable manner or having angry outbursts
- Difficulty concentrating
- Frequently feeling on-guard or vigilant
- Feeling easily startled

Want to learn more about PTSD and ASD?

Check out these resources:

Are you concerned that you may have PTSD or ASD?

See our resource database for a list of books, websites, and local options for seeking professional evaluations and treatment.