PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) are mental health disorders that can develop following traumatic events. They are anxiety disorders and have a very similar range of symptoms. The events that cause ASD or PTSD include abuse, death, about violence, or an event that threatens one’s core emotional and physical needs. One doesn’t need to be at the center of these events to experience PTSD or ASD but one can also be a witness to any of these stressors affecting people.