6. anxiety Flashcards
explain sociocultural causes of anxiety
Societal pressures make people feel like they cannot meet expectations/standards or their own abilities are underrated
explain the humanistic approach to causes of anxiety
Self-imposed pressures make people feel like they cannot meet (their own) expectations/standards or underrate their own abilities
explain the psychoanalytic approach to causes of anxiety
Ego defence mechanisms have failed and better regulation of defences are needed.
explain the behavioural approach to causes of anxiety
: Patients become conditioned to fear more and more stimuli, as they associate everything with fear outcomes
biological explantaions of anxiety
There is a genetic basis the increases sensitivity to anxiety which might require readjusting using drugs.
what are the 3 main phobic disorders
Agoraphobia: avoidance of public places
Social Phobias: fear of exposure to scrutiny
Simple Phobias: persistent fear of objects or discrete events
biological explanation of panic disorders
: Noradrenaline levels are high in these patients, possibly due to an overly sensitive amygdala and a dysfunctional hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis system. Drugs that reduce noradrenaline levels helps symptoms (e.g. antidepressants or blood pressure medications).
symptoms of PTSD
Tendency to re-experience events-flashbacks
Painful or intrusive recollections, dreams- nightmares
Excessive autonomic arousal, hyper-alertness
Difficulty in concentration –completing tasks
Depression, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, impulsiveness
Abuse of alcohol/drugs
Performance and social deterioration
Events that can trigger PTSD:
30% of Vietnam veterans and 20% of veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq reported symptoms of PTSD
- natural and accidental disasters: earthquakes hurricanes, plane crashes (5% - 10%)
- more than 30% of victims of physical or sexual assault, terrorism or torture (Burijon, 2007)
explain what freud means by tension reduction
In Freud’s view, the human is driven towards tension reduction, in order to reduce feelings of anxiety. this means Humans seek to reduce anxiety through defense mechanisms.
what are the two common properties of all defence mechanisms and their overall function
They can operate unconsciously
They can distort, transform, or falsify reality is some way. Overall, the changing of perceived reality allows for a lessening of anxiety, reducing the psychological tension felt by an individual.
explain how relaxation-based strategies help reduce anxiety
diaphragmatic breathing involves learning to slow down ones breathing from the diaphragm rather than the chest. research suggests breathing exercises activate an autonomic ns response consistent with relaxation
which anxiety disorders have found to be treated effectively with medication
SSRIs for example have been found to be an effective treatment for GAD, social anxiety, agoraphobia and OCD. SSRIs work by preventing the reuptake of serotonin in the synapses. This leaves a higher level of serotonin in the brain, and increased serotonin can help relieve depression
what techniques are used in the treatment of social anxiety and panic disorders
social anxiety and panic disorders is treated using a combination of exposure therapy and CBT.
how are phobic disorders treated
specific phobias are usually treated with exposure therapy alone as reearch has found that
