Acute stress reaction - treatment protocols

{ClinPsy}}

Treatment protocol for acute stress reaction

Treatment should vary from one individual to the next depending on their particular problems. However, the treatment of acute stress reaction generally involves:
 * Help with the removal of any ongoing traumatic event. This should involve minimising further traumas that may arise from the initial traumatic event. For example, moving to safe accommodation or resolving concerns about legal consequenses of a fatal accident.
 * Discussion about what happened during the traumatic event: (e.g., what was seen, how the individual acted or felt, or what he or she thought at the time). Discussion may help the individual reduce any negative appraisals of his or her reaction during the experience. For example, some individuals may feel guilty about their sense of helplessness during the trauma (e.g., that they did not do anything to stop the trauma). These negative appraisals are a common reaction to a traumatic event. In most cases it is highly unlikely that, when faced with such a trauma, the individual could have acted in any other way.
 * Psychoducation about the 'normal' response to traumatic events and guidelines for how to best cope in the hours and days following the event (see Psychological responses to traumatic stress: what to expect).
 * Encourage people to confront the trauma by talking about the experience to family and friends.
 * Reassure the individual that the acute stress reaction is likely to pass in a short period of time.
 * Identify potential sources of support and facilitate support from others (e.g., partners, family, friends, work colleagues etc.)
 * Introduce the use of simple relaxation methods to provide an effective way of coping with  anxiety and tension associated with the stress reaction (e.g., breathing control
 * Encourage the continuation of normal routines and the use of exercise and  social activities and hobbies as distractors, and reinforcers of competence.
 * Encourage the individual to gradually confront situations associated with the traumatic event (e.g., return to driving but perhaps only for short distances initially).
 * Advise the individual against using drink or drugs to help cope with their reaction as this can be counterproductive.
 * Provide follow-up appointments as persistent symptoms may need more specialised treatment if Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or depression develops.