From 2005:
When someone first learns about a new and potentially serious risk, the natural, healthy, and useful reaction is, in a sense, an over-reaction:
You pause.
You become hyper-vigilant.
You personalize the risk.
You take extra precautions.
These responses are signs of what psychiatrists call an adjustment reaction. They are part of the process of adjusting to the new risk. Here are the key characteristics of the adjustment reaction to crisis.
An old bookmark, worth re-posting.