Anxiety Flashcards
What is anxiety
Anxiety - feeling of worry, nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome
Name some symptoms of anxiety
Palpitations Sweating Trembling or shaking Difficulty breathing Chest pain Nausea Abdominal distress Dizziness Light headed
What is the limbic system formed of
Hippocampus formation
Septal area
Amygdala
+/- prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus
Name some anxiety disorders
Social phobia
Specific phobia
Generalised anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Name some drug types used to treat anxiety disorders
Benzodiazepines
SSRIs
How do benzodiazepines work to reduce anxiety
Benzodiazepines increase GABA transmission to increase the amount of GABA in the cortex - GABA levels decreased in those with anxiety
Get withdrawal if stopped suddenly and are addictive
What is an obsession?
Obsession - thought that persists and dominates an individuals thinking despite their awareness that the thought is either entirely without purpose or has persisted and dominated their thinking beyond the point of relevance of usefulness
What is a compulsion
Compulsion - obsessional motor acts. May result from obsessional impulse that leads directly to action or may be mediated by an obsessional mental image or fear
Which features need to be present to diagnose a patient with OCD and for how long do these symptoms need to be present for
Features present for most days for a period of 2wks. Features:
Originate in mind of the patient
Repetitive and unpleasant
Acknowledged as excessive or unreasonable
Patient tries to resist but at least one obsession or compulsion is unsuccessfully resisted
What is PANDAS and what relevance does it have to OCD
Paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with strep infection
Have sudden onset of OCD symptoms or tics after infection with group A, beta-haemolytic strep
Name some methods used in the treatment of OCD
Cognitive behavioural therapy Exposure response prevention High does SSRIs Augmentation with anti-psychotics Deep brain stimulation
What is PTSD
Post traumatic stress disorder
Occurs within 6mths of a traumatic event of exceptional severity
Have repetitive, intrusive recollection or re-enactment of the event in memories, daytime imagery or dreams
Which hormone is at lower level in patient’s with PTSD and what function does it have in regards to memory
Cortisol is found at a lower concentration in PTSD patients
Cortisol inhibits traumatic memory retrieval and controls sympathetic response
