Your patient recovering from injuries sustained in a terrorist incident is exhibiting stress symptoms. Which of the following is a common behavior reaction associated with severe short-term stress reactions?

• A. Insomnia
• B. Euphoria
• C. Headache
• D. Substance abuse

Answer: (D)

When people face severe short-term stress after a traumatic event, they often look for quick ways to reduce distress. Substances can offer a temporary escape from intense anxiety, hyperarousal, and intrusive memories, so turning to alcohol or drugs becomes a common behavioral way to cope in the immediate aftermath. This is a behavior—an action taken to manage distress—rather than a physical symptom, which is why it fits the question as the typical behavioral reaction.

Insomnia and headaches are indeed common symptoms of acute stress, but they describe what the body and mind experience, not how a person consciously acts to cope. Euphoria is not a typical or reliable reaction to acute trauma and wouldn’t be considered a common coping behavior in this context.