It is common for people with episodic acute stress reactions to be over-aroused, short-tempered, irritable, anxious, and tense. Often, they describe themselves as having "a lot of nervous energy." Always in a hurry, they tend to be abrupt and sometimes their irritability comes across as hostility. Interpersonal relationships deteriorate rapidly when others respond with real hostility. The world becomes a very stressful place for them. The symptoms of episodic acute stress are the symptoms of frequent bouts of over-arousal:

1. Persistent tension headaches
2. Migraine headaches
3. Hypertension
4. Chest pain
5. Heart disease
6. Anxiety
7. Anger
8. Depression
9. Diarrhea
10. Gastrointestinal problems

Treating episodic acute stress requires intervention on a number of levels, generally professional help, and may take many months.