3.2 - Anxiety, Depression & Addiction

Question 1

What is the brain for?

Answer 1

• organise sensory input
• make sense of sensory and social information - internal models
• survival - avoid harm (physical, social)
• maximise efficiency
• adaptive function

Question 2

What is anxiety?

Answer 2

• a constellation of psychological and physiological responses to potential/uncertain threat
• exists to automatically motivate us to avoid harm (so is usually a good thing - survival)

Question 3

What is the difference between state and trait anxiety?

Answer 3

• state anxiety - the state of being anxious, feeling unsafe, trapped, no control at times
• state anxiety shows itself when an individual is facing an approaching unpleasant event
• trait anxiety - adaptive modulations of automatic threat response i.e. how much it takes different people to become stressed e.g. some stress about exams from start whereas others only do right before
• trait anxiety comes about from environment (e.g. experiences of threat, insecurity) and genetic factors (e.g. polymorphisms of serotonergic and noradrenergic function) - generally considered part of personality
• a lot of trait anxiety is to do with attachment in early relationships where one learns as a child how to manage anxiety through parents (who soothe you as a baby etc) –> learn how to manage it with self-soothing

Question 4

How is state anxiety linked to avoidance?

Answer 4

• there is a perpetuation of conditioned fear i.e. you get scared of something so avoid it
• to overcome that fear you need to not avoid it repeatedly to unlearn the fear, but you won’t as you are trying to avoid it
• e.g. as a kid, bitten by a snake so fear and avoidance of snakes for rest of life - evolutionarily helpful as encounters with other snakes can pose survival threat
• linked to anxiety disorders as they are fears of things that normally wouldn’t cause anxiety e.g. social situations

Question 5

How does state anxiety affect attentional and cognitive bias?

Answer 5

• changes the way you perceive and make sense of information
• e.g. walking through forest at day, you feel happy - shadows etc look normal
• if you are walking at night, you may feel anxious and this makes shadows look like people etc
• useful as if you are in a feeling of dread/threat it is useful for your brain to second guess everything to look out for potential threats

Question 6

How does state anxiety link to ruminations?

Answer 6

• your brain during state anxiety can constantly generate ruminations/thoughts of catastrophic things that may happen, to prepare you - negative automatic thoughts
• can cause poor sleep = increases state anxiety

Question 7

What can anxiety disorder be conceptualised as?

Answer 7

• a self-perpetuating network of positive feedback loops, arising from responses which are usually adaptive
• excessively intense/persistent anxiety –> significant distress/impairment

Question 8

What can depression be conceptualised as?

Answer 8

• a self-perpetuating network of positive feedback loops, arising from responses which are usually adaptive

Question 9

What are the core symptoms of depression?

Answer 9

• low mood
• low energy
• anhedonia
• they have an evolutionary role - recuperative response
• but, they overwhelm homeostasis –> depression

Question 10

What can cause/trigger depression?

Answer 10

• depressogenic factors - abuse, loss, bullying, chronic illness etc –> low self worth –> cognitive bias
• prolonged stress
• genetics
• environment

Question 11

What can depression lead to?

Answer 11

• low energy –> social withdrawal + isolation –> worsens low mood and self worth
• low mood –> poor sleep (positive feedback)
• low self worth
• low mood –> hopelessness –> suicidality

Question 12

How are depression and anxiety linked?

Answer 12

• low self worth –> expectations of failure/social judgement –> state anxiety
• state anxiety –> avoidance –> social withdrawal and isolation
• state anxiety –> poor sleep –> low energy

Question 13

What is a compulsion?

Answer 13

• the experience of overwhelming urges to repeat a behaviour, even in the knowledge that it is harmful
• present in numerous disorders

Question 14

How are addictions developed?

Answer 14

• repeated negative reinforcement, in the context of persistent states of suffering/distress/tension, is a central part of the development of addictions

Question 15

How are addictions linked to the unconscious mind?

Answer 15

• addictions have a powerful unconscious component, mediated by the substances’ direct action on neural circuits for motivation and reward-seeking

Question 16

What else is important when looking at addictions?

Answer 16

• social context is central to their development
• e.g. homeless person on street may get addicted to heroin but if you go on holiday and break your leg and get given morphine (structurally same), you don’t get addicted
• difference is the poor person may have a poor social support network, struggling mentally and financially etc whereas you are not