Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Abnormal Psychology > Anxiety > Flashcards

Anxiety Flashcards

1
Q

3 key elements of emotion

A
  1. Subjective experience (feeling in head)
  2. Physiological response
  3. Behavioral response (Not always present)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Def: Anxiety

A

Forward oriented emotion, elevated apprehension, tension, sense of dread, lack of control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Def: Worry

A

Thoughts about possible negative outcomes that are intrusive and difficult to control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Def: Fear

A

Reaction to an immediate or present threat, alarm reaction
- Action tendency elicited by external events (threat) or feeling state (terror)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Tripartite Model of Anxiety

A

Behaviour, cognition, physiology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How does anxiety effect performance

A

Low anxiety = poor performance
Aroused anxiety levels= average performance
Mildly high anxiety = excellent performance
high anxiety = Poor performance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Rest and digest

A

Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system
- Pupil constriction
- Saliva stimulation
- Airways constriction
- Heart beat slow
- Stimulation of digestion
- Gallbladder stimulation
- Intestine stimulation
- Bladder constriction
- Increased blood flow to reproductive system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Fight or flight response

A

Activation of sympathetic nervous system
- Pupil Dilation
- Saliva inhibition
- Airways dilation
- Increased heart rate
- Digestion inhibition
- Liver glucose release
- Intestine inhibition
- Adrenal glands release epinephrine and norepinephrine
- Bladder relaxation
- Decreased blood flow to reproductive system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Stress hormone response

A
  1. Hypothalamus releases corticotropin- release factor (CRH)
  2. CRH signals to pituitary to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
  3. ACTH signals adrenal cortex to release hormones including cortisol
  4. When threat is gone, hippocampus` turns cascade off
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Panic Atacks

A

DEF: Discrete period of intense fear or terror that has sudden onset and reaches a peak quickly
- Can include both cognitive and physical symptoms
- Sometimes has a trigger or cue, sometimes spontaneous
-28% of people experience panic attacks occasionally

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Panic Disorder

A

Recurrent, unexpected panic attacks
Often believe they have life-threatening illness
- 3-5% lifetime prevalence
- Emerges late adolescence to early 30s
CRITERIA:
One attack followed by 1 month of:
- persistent concern about additional attacks or consequences
- significant maladaptive change in behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How does pandemic related anxiety effect individuals

A

Posttraumatic stress, general stress. anxiety, health anxiety and suicidality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are some of the symptoms of panic attacks

A

Heart palpitations, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, intense dread, and fear of dying

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Locus Ceruleus

A

An area of the brain stem that plays a part in the emergency response and may be involved in panic attacks by lowering the threshold for stimulus in the limbic system to trigger a response

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are 3 cognitive factors that are correlated with the development of a panic disorder

A
  1. Pay close attention to bodily sensations
  2. Misinterpret these sensations in a negative way
  3. Engage in snowballing catastrophic thinking, exaggerating symptoms and their consequences
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are the two major theories the etiology of Panic disorder

A

Biological and cognitive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Biological Approach to panic disorder etiology

A
  • 43-48% heritability
  • Flight-or-fight may be poor regulated through neurotransmitter dysfunction
  • Differences in limbic system (e.x. lesions)
  • Fluctuations in progesterone may impact certain neurotransmitter systems causing increased FoF response
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Cognitive Approach

A
  • People have higher interoceptive awareness
  • can result in the snowball effect when having physiological symptoms
  • Lead to interoceptive conditioning
  • Misinterpreting sensations in a negative way leading to catastrophic thinking
19
Q

Def: Interoceptive awareness

A

Paying closer attention to bodily sensations

20
Q

Def: Interoceptive Conditioning

A

Associate feeling of elevated physiology with panic attack causing a panic attack to result

21
Q

Anxiety Sensitivity

A

Belief that bodily symptoms have negative consequences

22
Q

Sanderson, Rapee & barlow CO2 experiement

A
  • 2 randomly assigned groups: one thinks they have control over CO2 other doesnt
  • given CO2 enriched air and measured panic attacks
  • 20% of those who thought they were in control
  • 80 % of those who didn’t
23
Q

Generalized Anxiety disorder

A
  • Anxiety about ordinary everyday situation
  • Anxiety is intrusive and causes distress or functional impairment and often encompasses multiple domains
  • Associated with physical symptoms such as sleep disturbance, chronic restlessness, muscle tension, GI symptoms and headaches
24
Q

What is the prevalence of GAD in Canada

A

8.7 life time prevalence

25
Q

Emotional and cognitive factors of GAD

A

EMOTIONAL
- Experience intense negative emotions, highly reactive to negative situations, feel their emotions are not controllable
COGNITIVE
- make maladaptive assumptions many of which reflect concern of losing control

26
Q

Biological Factors of GAD

A
  • Heightened activity of SNS
  • Greater reactivity to emotional stimuli in the amygdala (may be associated with abnormalities in GABA)
  • May result in part to disrupted coordination of brain activity
  • Recent research suggests decreased connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex is present among those with GAD
27
Q

Social Anxiety Disorder

A

An anxiety disorder in which the individual experiences intense fear of public humiliation or rejection and therefore tends to avoid social situations
- Most prevalent mental illness and contributes to the development of other psychiatric disorders

28
Q

Symptoms of social anxiety disorder

A
  • heightened fear, anxiety and avoidance of social interactions and situations
  • In social situations may tremble, perspire, feel confused and dizzy, heart palpitations or panic attack
29
Q

How does social support effect those with social anxiety disorder

A
  • development of close friendships and other kinds of social support reduce the risk of developing social anxiety symptoms
  • higher levels of perceived social support is associated with more favorable prognosis in treatment of social anxiety
30
Q

Prevalence of social anxiety

A
  • Most common form of anxiety and third most common mental health problem
  • Lifetime prevalence of 8% in Canada
  • 1 in 7 internationally
31
Q

What time in life is social anxiety most likely to develop

A

Preschool years or adolescence
- When people become self-conscious and concerned about other’s opinions
- Chronic if untreated

32
Q

Cognitive perspectives on social anxitey

A

COGNTIVE OVER PHYSIOLOGICAL
- excessively high standards for their social performance
- focus on negative aspects of social interactions
- evaluate their own behaviour harshly
- anxious feelings due to social situations
- safety behaviours may make social interactions lower quality

33
Q

Agoraphobia

A

Fear of places where one may have trouble escaping or getting help
- Can sometimes be diagnosed alongside panic disorder
- 50% of people with agoraphobia have history of panic attacks
- other 50% have history of some disorder
- Have a tendency to turn to substance abuse

34
Q

Agoraphobia Symptoms

A
  • Fear of leaving home alone
  • Fear of enclosed spaces
  • Fear of using public transportation
  • Fear of open spaces
  • Fear of crowds or waiting in line
35
Q

Treatment for panic disorders

A
  • Pharmaceutical options
  • CBT: confront situations or thoughts that arouse anxiety
  • challenge and change thoughts
  • Extinguish anxious behaviours
36
Q

Steps of CBT for panic disorder

A

1.Learn relaxation and breathing exercise
2. Identify catastrophizing cognitions about bodily sensations (may induce symptoms in session to work through in real time)
3. Practice relaxation wile experiencing symptoms
4. Challenging catastrophizing thoughts
5. Systematic desensitization to expose clients to feared situations

37
Q

Specific Phobias

A
  • Unreasonable or irrational fears of specific objects or situations
  • Disproportionate to actual danger
  • may include avoidance or endurance with intense fear or anxiety
  • Lifetime prevalence of 6.4% in Canada
38
Q

Four major specific phobia categories

A
  • Natural environment (most common height)
  • Animals (Most common snakes and spiders)
  • Situations
  • Blood-injection-injury
39
Q

Biological approach to specific phobias

A

20-40% heritability

40
Q

Behavioral approach to specific phobias

A

MOWRER’S TWO-FACTOR THEORY
- Classical conditioning leads to fear of stimulus
- operant conditioning maintains fear (negative reinforcement)
PREPARED CLASSICL CONDITIONING
- evolution has prepared us to fear stimuli that were dangerous in our ancestral past

41
Q

Prepared classical conditioning study

A
  • Only 1-2 shocks for participants to start expressing fear to evolutionary feared stimuli and more difficult to extinguish
  • 4-5 shocks for participants to start expressing fear to random stimuli and easier to extinguish
42
Q

Behavioral therapies for specific phobias

A
  • Systematic desensitization therapy
  • Virtual reality treatment
  • Flooding
43
Q

Flooding

A

Intensively exposes client to feared stimulus until anxiety and/or fear is extinguished

Abnormal Psychology (12 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions