Anxiety Flashcards
What is fear and what does it do in our body?
- Fear is an immediate alarm reaction to present danger, characterized largely by a strong motivation to escape.
- Fear response activates sympathetic nervous system and the sympatho-adrenomedullary (SAM) axis
-Panic disorder consists mostly of fear response
What is anxiety?
Apprehension or worry about future events. In general it is a negative mood state characterized by bodily symptoms of physical tension, and psychological symptoms of apprehension about the future. Each state of anxiety is unique because people can worry about all sorts of different things.
Disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) consists mostly of anxiety
Which disorder contain a mixture of both anxiety and fear?
Post-traumatic stress disorder
What are the characteristics of anxiety disorder?
- Are often comorbid with depression and other mental illnesses
- Anxiety Disorder are also often comorbid with other anxiety disorders
-Suicide is also a very common risk with anxiety disorders
What is Panic Disorder?
- Panic disorders are characterized by recurrent and debilitating panic attacks that come unexpectedly.
What are Panic Attacks?
- Panic attacks are abrupt surges of intense fear or discomfort. People who suffer from panic attacks usually withdraw from society to avoid experiencing panic attacks in a public place
What are the symptoms of a panic attack?
-Palpitations
-Sweating
-Trembling or shaking
-Sensations or shortness of breath
-Feelings of choking
-Chest pain or discomfort
-Nausea or abdominal distress
-Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light headed or faint
-Chills or heat sensations
-Paresthesias (numbness or tingling)
-Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from ones self)
-Fear of losing control
Fear of dying
What is the amygdala’s role in fear?
- Amygdala has direct access to sensory information which allows it to quickly react to dangerous stimuli.
- It is linked to the recognition, expression, and experience of fear in both humans and animals.
- It also has connections with the SNS allowing it to affect physiological function.
What is the neurobiology of a panic attack?
-Panic attacks are generally unprovoked and undirected
-Panic disorder show amygdala activation in response to axiogenic stimuli
-It is also highly heritable but the only gene linked to the disorder is COMT, Catechol-O-methyltransferase, an enzyme that degrades catecholamine neurotransmitters
What is Generalized anxiety disorder?
It is characterized by excessive anxiety, worry, and rumination. It does not have a specific start or end time nor specific focus
What are the symptoms of GAD?
-Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
-Being easily fatigued
-Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
-Irritability
-Muscle tension
-Sleep disturbance
What is the neurobiology of GAD?
-GAD is not associated with SNS overactivity
-Individuals with GAD are said to be autonomic restrictors, meaning their sympathetic nervous system is less responsive to stressors
-Increased activation of the frontal lobes
Individuals with GAD show greater amygdala activation in response to the anticipation of a negative image
What drugs are used to treat anxiety?
Anxiolytics are used to treat anxiety. Anxiolytics can be classified into fast-acting and slow acting drugs with fast acting being given to PD while slow acting are given to GAD
What are benzodiazepines?
They are agonists at GABA receptors, they increase inhibitory signaling in brain, leading to sedation and relaxation
What are other drugs being used for anxiety disorders?
- Antidepressant medication such as SSRIs are also effective in treating anxiety disorders so much so that they have begun to take over classic anxiolytic drugs as first line of treatment
- Betablockers can also be used for treating short term anxiety, they treat the autonomic symptoms of panic/anxiety
