15.4 Anxiety Disorders

Question 1

Anxiety disorders

Answer 1

characterized by excessive and persistent fear and anxiety, and by related disturbances in behavior

Question 2

specific phobia

Answer 2

anxiety disorder characterized by excessive, distressing, and persistent fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation

Question 3

agoraphobia

Answer 3

anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear, anxiety, and avoidance of situations in which it might be difficult to escape if one experiences symptoms of a panic attack

Question 4

Social anxiety disorder

Answer 4

characterized by extreme and persistent fear or anxiety and avoidance of social situations in which one could potentially be evaluated negatively by others

Question 5

safety behaviors

Answer 5

mental and behavior acts designed to reduce anxiety in social situations by reducing the chance of negative social outcomes; common in social anxiety disorder

Question 6

panic disorder

Answer 6

anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected panic attacks, along with at least one month of worry about panic attacks or self-defeating behavior related to the attacks

Question 7

panic attack

Answer 7

period of extreme fear or discomfort that develops abruptly; symptoms of panic attacks are both physiological and psychological

Question 8

locus coeruleus

Answer 8

area of the brainstem that contains norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response; has been implicated in panic disorder

Question 9

generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 9

characterized by a continuous state of excessive, uncontrollable, and pointless worry and apprehension