It's definitely possible that it's just stress induced. Not that that makes it much better. The best advice I have for dealing with them unmedicated is to make sure you don't talk to them in public. Try to go on with your day as best you can, ignoring them, and when you're in private go ahead and talk to them. Some people find that they settle down whaen you respond to them and acknowledge what they are saying, others find more relief from yelling at them, or telling them to go away. Good luck. Id say your best bet is to try and reduce your stress level as much as possible and see if that helps. And worrying about them coming back is just going to make things worse, even though it's really hard not to worry about.