Anxiety Flashcards
Q: What is the main characteristic of anxiety?
A: A negative mood state with physical tension and future apprehension
What is the key difference between expected and unexpected panic attacks?
A: Expected attacks have a known trigger, while unexpected attacks occur without warning.
Why is moderate anxiety beneficial?
A: It enhances physical and intellectual performance.
What physiological changes occur during the flight-or-fight response?
A: Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension.
Q: Which symptom is not associated with a panic attack: chest pain, fear of dying, increased appetite, or derealization?
A: Increased appetite.
Q: Anxiety is a future-oriented mood state characterized by physical tension and __________ about upcoming events.
A: Apprehension.
How is panic defined in psychopathology?
A: An abrupt experience of intense fear or acute discomfort.
Q: Which part of the nervous system triggers the flight-or-fight response?
A: The autonomic nervous system.
What neurotransmitter system is associated with increased anxiety when depleted?
A) Dopaminergic system
B) Serotonergic system
C) GABA–benzodiazepine system
D) Noradrenergic system
Answer: C) GABA–benzodiazepine system
Which brain system is most associated with anxiety?
A) Prefrontal cortex
B) Limbic system
C) Brain stem
D) Hypothalamus
Answer: B) Limbic system
What does the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) primarily cause when activated?
A) Fight or flight
B) Relaxation
C) Freezing and anxiety
D) Increased pleasure
Answer: C) Freezing and anxiety
Which brain circuit is responsible for panic-like responses?
A) BIS
B) Limbic system
C) Fight/Flight System (FFS)
D) HPA axis
Answer: C) Fight/Flight System (FFS)
Which factor increases the risk of developing anxiety disorders in adulthood?
A) Consuming caffeine
B) Teen smoking
C) Early social success
D) High serotonin levels
Answer: B) Teen smoking
Anxiety disorders are influenced by biological, __________, and social factors.
Answer: psychological
The __________ system activates the HPA axis, playing a central role in anxiety.
Answer: corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)
The __________ system mediates signals from the brain stem to the cortex.
Answer: limbic
The __________ circuit produces a panic-like alarm response.
Answer: fight/flight (FFS)
Anxiety sensitivity is the tendency to fear __________ sensations.
Answer: bodily
What role does the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system play in anxiety?
It activates the HPA axis, affecting brain areas like the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex.
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions that are characterized by persistent and
disruptive feelings of fear, worry, and unease, which can significantly interfere with an individual’s daily life
and activities
Differentiate between anxiety, fear and panic.
Focus:
Anxiety: Worry about future events.
Fear: Response to an immediate threat.
Panic: Sudden intense fear without real danger.
**Emotional Response:
**
Anxiety: Apprehension and unease.
Fear: Urge to escape or defend.
Panic: Overwhelming dread and helplessness.
Physical Symptoms:
Anxiety: Muscle tension, restlessness.
Fear: Rapid heartbeat, sweating.
Panic: Chest pain, dizziness, shaking.
Trigger:
Anxiety: Anticipation of possible threats.
Fear: Presence of actual danger.
Panic: Often occurs unexpectedly, even in safe situations.
Priya has an important exam tomorrow. She feels restless, has trouble sleeping, and keeps thinking about what will happen if she fails. Her heart races every time she looks at her notes.
What is Priya experiencing?
A) Fear
B) Panic
C) Anxiety
D) Depression
c) anxiety
Rohan is walking through a park when a stray dog suddenly runs toward him, barking loudly. His heart pounds, and he immediately backs away, looking for safety.
Which emotional response is Rohan experiencing?
A) Anxiety
B) Panic
C) Depression
D) Fear
Fear
Meera is sitting in a café when she suddenly feels her heart racing, starts sweating, and feels like she might faint, even though nothing around her seems threatening.
What type of episode is Meera experiencing?
A) Expected panic attack
B) Unexpected panic attack
C) Anxiety
D) Fear
b) unexpected panic attack
WHat is the role of the limbic system?
The limbic system acts as a mediator between the brain stem and the cortex.
The more primitive brain stem monitors and senses changes in bodily functions and relays these potential danger signals to higher cortical processes through the limbic system.
What is the role of the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) in anxiety?
Answer: The BIS is responsible for detecting potential threats, causing the body to freeze and evaluate the situation, leading to feelings of anxiety.
How does the fight/flight system differ from the BIS?
The fight/flight system triggers an immediate alarm and escape response resembling panic, while the BIS promotes freezing and cautious evaluation.
Which brain structures are involved in the fight/flight system?
Answer: The fight/flight system involves the brain stem, amygdala, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and central grey matter.
TRUE OR FALSE?
a) The Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) is triggered by expected events.
b) The amygdala plays a significant role in enhancing the BIS response.
a) false
b) true
According to Freud, anxiety is a reaction to:
A) Childhood trauma
B) Repressed desires
C) Danger surrounding the reactivation of an infantile fearful situation
D) Unconscious conflict
Danger surrounding the reactivatioon of an infantile fearful sistuation
Behavioral theorists believed anxiety was caused by:
A) Unconscious fears
B) Early classical conditioning, modeling, or other forms of learning
C) Genetic factors
D) Traumatic life events
b) early classical conditioning, modeling, or other forms of learning.
What psychological factor contributes to vulnerability to anxiety?
A) Overconfidence
B) A sense of uncontrollability
C) Genetic inheritance
D) Positive childhood experiences
Answer: B) A sense of uncontrollability
What is the triple
vulnerability theory ?
The Triple Vulnerability Theory explains how anxiety develops through three factors working together:
Generalized Biological Vulnerability: This refers to inherited traits that make someone more likely to feel anxious, like being naturally high-strung or sensitive to stress. However, this alone doesn’t cause anxiety.
Generalized Psychological Vulnerability: This comes from early life experiences, where a person develops a belief that the world is unpredictable and dangerous. If someone grows up feeling like they can’t handle challenges, they are more likely to experience anxiety later in life.
Specific Psychological Vulnerability: This happens when a person learns to fear specific things or situations, often from their environment or caregivers. For example, if a parent is afraid of dogs or social judgment, a child might also develop those fears.
Define comorbidity
The co-occurrence of two or more disorders in a single individual is referred to as comorbidity.
GAD is characterized by excessive worry that lasts for at least _______ months.
Six
One cognitive characteristic of GAD is _______ of uncertainty, meaning individuals with GAD are less tolerant of unpredictable situations. Answer: intolerance
- Intolerance
A common physical symptom of GAD is _______ tension, which is a result of chronic anxiety.
Muscle
____________ and are most often prescribed
for generalized anxiety
Benzodiazepines are most often prescribed
for generalized anxiety
Antidepressants have proven to be an effective treatment to anxiety disorders. true or false?
True
Which of the following is a common characteristic of agoraphobia?
a) Excessive worry about minor events
b) Fear of being unable to escape a situation
c) Fear of gaining weight
d) Fear of contamination
Answer: b) Fear of being unable to escape a situation
What are nocturnal panic attacks?
Nocturnal panic attacks occur during delta wave or slow-wave sleep, which typically occurs several hours after we fall asleep and is the deepest stage of sleep.
People with panic disorder often begin to panic when they start sinking into delta sleep, and then
they awaken in the midst of an attack.
What is the role of “learned alarms” in panic disorder, and give two examples of cues that might trigger a panic attack?
“Learned alarms” are internal or external cues that become associated with panic attacks through conditioning. An example of an internal cue is an increased heart rate during exercise, and an example of an external cue is being in a movie theatre where a panic attack first occurred.
________are currently the indicated drug for panic disorder based on all available evidence, although sexual dysfunction seems to occur in 75 percent or more of people taking these medications
Selective serotonin inihibtors
_______________ concentrates on exposing patients with panic disorder to the cluster of interoceptive sensations that remind them of their panic attacks.
PCT Panic control treatment
The therapist attempts to create
“mini” panic attacks in the office by having the patients exercise to elevate their heart rates or perhaps by spinning them in a chair to make them dizzy.
Situational phobias typically involve a fear of __________ or enclosed places.
b) public transportation
Which of the following is an example of a situational phobia?
a) Fear of deep water
b) Fear of snakes
c) Fear of flying
d) Fear of the dark
fear of flying
