Anxiety

Question 1

What is anxiety?

Answer 1

an unpleasant emotional state characterised by fearfulness and unwanted and distressing physical symptoms and thoughts

Question 2

What anxiety disorders are classified by the DSM?

Answer 2

Phobias, panic disorder, generalised anxiety, OCD, PTSD

Question 3

What are the two explanations for biological preparedness?

Answer 3

Evolutionary preparedness and genetic risk

Question 4

What happens in the fight/flight response system?

Answer 4

Evolutionary mechanism involving primitive brain areas and decision making (limbic/frontal)

Question 5

What physiological changes are there when we enter the fight/flight stage?

Answer 5

• Adrenaline surge
• Heart races
• Muscles tense
• Pupils dilate
• Noradrenaline released

Question 6

What is the genetic risk?

Answer 6

Distribution of those who have more or less autonomic lability (readiness to arousal)

Question 7

What is the behavioural theory?

Answer 7

Conditioning, we can be conditioned to fear anything, reinforced by avoidance

Question 8

What are the causes of phobias?

Answer 8

Vicarious reinforcement

Question 9

What is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 9

• Unlearning feared response
• Learn a coping response:
  
  • Breathing relaxation techniques
  • Managing intrusive thoughts
  • Progression

Question 10

What is Psychoanalytic assessment?

Answer 10

EXAMPLE
- Fears over burgeoning sexuality (rapidly growing)
- Animal representing latent sexuality, repressed family system (no support)

Question 11

What is the treatment of the psychoanalytic assessment?

Answer 11

Explore issues of sexuality and discussion

Question 12

What is GAD?

Answer 12

Often triggered by stressful events, co-morbidity with depression, fears over not being able to cope

Question 13

What is panic disorder?

Answer 13

Comorbidity with other common anxiety disorders

Question 14

Why is PTSD different?

Answer 14

No known aetiology (reason)

Question 15

What are the effects of PTSD?

Answer 15

Person directly affected by event where there was death, serious injury or threat to physical integrity

Question 16

What can PTSD be caused by?

Answer 16

Individual or continuous trauma

Question 17

What are the symptoms of coexisting (Bimodal reactions) ?

Answer 17

Fight or flight
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares
- Hyperarousal
- Hypervigilance
Freeze
- Avoidance behaviours
- Numbness
- Amnesia
- Derealisation

Question 18

What are the prevalence rates for PTSD?

Answer 18

Men = 5%
Women = 10.4%

Question 19

What are the biological mechanisms for PTSD?

Answer 19

• Biological readiness for ‘fear conditioning response’
• F or F
• Stress hormone elevated within a few hours - State of readiness cycle
• Increased natural opiates

Question 20

What does the autonomic nervous system release?

Answer 20

Adrenaline (Increases HR, blood pressure and energy)
Cortisol (primary stress hormone, increases glucose in bloodstream, and repair tissue substances)

Question 21

What type of mechanism is the cognitive-behavioural?

Answer 21

Psychological mechanism

Question 22

What are the factors contributing to development of PTSD?

Answer 22

Pre-morbid history, female gender, nature of event

Question 23

What other disorders are co-morbid with PTSD?

Answer 23

• Sleep disturbances
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Substance misuse

Question 24

What are the main PTSD treatments?

Answer 24

CBT, Debriefing, Eye movement desensitisation, psychosocial rehabilitation, group therapy, medication