Understanding yourself
Acute stress reaction
“Since that night, I can’t seem to land.”
Shock in the days after something terrible is a normal human response. Help in those days still matters.
The fire was in the building next door, on a winter night. Lipi, a professor of economics, stood on the road in her shawl and watched the windows go orange. Nobody in her family was hurt. Five days later she still cannot eat, jumps at every siren, and has the strange feeling that she is watching her own life through glass. Her husband keeps saying they were lucky. She knows. It does not help.
An illustration drawn from common experience. The person is invented; the pattern is not.
Understanding acute stress reaction
In the hours and days after a frightening event, many people feel shocked, numb, confused, tearful, or unable to stop replaying what happened. Sleep goes, appetite goes, and some people feel detached from themselves. Doctors call this an acute stress reaction. It is a normal response to an abnormal event, and for most people it settles within days or weeks.
Signs and symptoms of acute stress reaction
- Feeling dazed, numb or detached in the days after an event
- Not being able to stop thinking about it, or not being able to remember parts of it
- Jumping at sounds, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite
- Symptoms that are getting worse rather than easing after a few weeks
Treatment for acute stress reaction
What helps most early on is practical and human: safety, rest, food, accurate information, and people to be with. WHO’s guidelines advise against tranquillisers such as benzodiazepines for acute stress symptoms in the first month, and support psychological first aid and careful follow-up instead. If symptoms persist or worsen, a doctor checks for conditions that need treatment, such as PTSD or depression.
What getting better can look like
Lipi’s first sign might be a real meal, eaten slowly at her own table. Then a lecture given without losing the thread. The glass starts to clear.
Common questions about acute stress reaction
Is it normal to feel numb and shaky for days after an accident or a fire?
It is common. In the hours and days after a frightening event many people feel shocked, numb, tearful or detached, lose sleep and appetite, and keep replaying what happened. Doctors call this an acute stress reaction, and for most people it settles within days or weeks. If it is getting worse rather than easing after a few weeks, it is worth seeing a doctor.
Should I take a tranquilliser to calm down after a traumatic event?
The World Health Organization’s guidelines advise against tranquillisers such as benzodiazepines for acute stress symptoms in the first month after a traumatic event. What helps most early on is safety, rest, food, accurate information, people to be with, and careful follow-up. If a doctor has already prescribed you something, talk to them before making any change.
When to see a psychiatrist
If you or someone close to you is still struggling a few weeks after a frightening event, or is getting worse, it is worth a consultation. If anyone is thinking of harming themselves, seek help today.
Care here is personal: built around your history, your health and what you want to change, and reviewed with you as it goes.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.
If some of this sounds familiar, a first conversation is a good place to start. You do not need the right words, or to be certain.
Dr. Tajreen is consulting in Uttar Badda now, until 8:00 pm. Call +880 1847-331010Every address and its hours
Sources
- World Health Organization, Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress, 2013
You do not need to have everything figured out before you begin.
