anxiety

Question 1

Why do we have anxiety

Answer 1

Adaptive, fight or flight, better to be safe than sorry.

Question 2

Common characteristics

Answer 2

Panic
Biases towards negative/ threatening situations
Specific thinking styles
Trauma

Question 3

Prevalence Kessler et al 2005

Answer 3

28% lifetime prevalence

Question 4

Kroenke et al 2007 comorbid with depression =

Answer 4

A worse prognosis

Question 5

Simon et al., 1995

Answer 5

high costs

Question 6

Risk factors

Answer 6

Class:
- less income = higher risk. may suffer more traumatic events (Buka et al 2001)
Gender:
- Women 2 times as likely to have GAD, panic, PTSD and phobias. could be social roles, or social cultural factors (70% of rape victims have PTSD).

Question 7

Phobias

Answer 7

Social phobia = prevalence 3.2%

Question 8

Advantages of diagnoses

Answer 8

reliability 
validity 
labelling offers explanation
access to care 
insurance

Question 9

Disadvantages of diagnoses

Answer 9

High comorbidity
element of many other symptoms
labelling might confirm 
stigma 
disempowering

Question 10

Learning theories- Behavioural approach

Answer 10

Classical conditioning Little albert and the fear conditioning (Watson and Rayner, 1920).

• Classical conditioning causes association of panic or fear with place. (Cue paired with trauma)
• Operant conditioning causes reinforcement of avoidance of place. (negative reinforcement)

Question 11

limitations of behavioural approach

Answer 11

Many people with phobias cannot recall a specific traumatic event in the history of their phobia.
Not all people who have a traumatic conditioning develop a phobia.
Phobias only appear to develop in relation to certain stimuli and events.
A conditioning model cannot account for the phenomenon of incubation

Question 12

Evolutionary approach

Answer 12

Biological preparedness (Seligman, 1971). These predispositions enable us to learn to quickly fear a certain stimuli that was hazardous to our ancestors. Human classical conditioning studies using fear- relevant stimuli (Ohman 1975), fear conditioned in rhesus monkeys (Cook and Mineka, 1990). 
Evolutionary accoutns o selection of the cognitive processes involved in anxiety.. 
The moth effect- ancient adaptation drives attentional biases- modern life creates unhelpful triggers.

Question 13

limitations with the evolutionary approach

Answer 13

• Cant verify whether phobias were an important selection pressure in the past
• Constructed in a post hoc manner, adaptive stories (McNally, 1995)
• Evolutionary accounts are easy to propose and difficult to substantiate.

Question 14

Developmental model

Answer 14

Sensitive periods.

Familial transmission plays important role genetic factors (burt, 2009)

Question 15

What are the 4(6) anxiety disorders

Answer 15

Specific phobias
Social phobia
Panic disorder
generalised anxiety disorder
(OCD and PTSD)

Question 16

Specific phobias: 7.2 -11.3%

Answer 16

Psychoanalytic 
classical conditioning 
biological preparedness (Seligman, 1971)
non associated fear acquisition 
disease avoidance model

Question 17

Classical conditioning reference

Answer 17

Watson and Rayner (1920) little albert