Anxiety Flashcards
What is anxiety?
A feeling of worry, nerviousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome
What are some of the symptoms of anxiety?
- Palpitations
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Dry mouth
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Nausea or abdominal distress (butterflies)
- Feeling dizzy, faint, light headed
What is the physiological role of anxiety?
A stress response to enable us to escape from potentially dangerous situations
What neurological system is involved in the anxiety response?
The limbic system
Explain how the brain processes information in the stress response
Cortex and limbic system communicate between each other
Limbic system sends infromation to Hypothalamus
Hypothalalmus commicates with both motor regions and activates the sympathetic nervous system
What is the hippocampus?
Curved piece of cortex in part of the temporal lobe
Involved in memory and expression of emotion
What is the amygdala?
- Almond shaped structure sitting near the tip of the hippocampus
- Recieves input from the sensory system
- Major outputs to the cortex & hypothalamus
- Involved in behvioural and autonomic emotional responses
What horome is released as part of the chronic stress response?
Cortisol
What are the effects of cortisol?
- Increase of energy metabolite levels
- Suppression of immune system
- Inhibtion of allergic and inflammatory processes
Describe the release of cortisol by the HPA axis
What are the 3 stages of general adaption that the body goes through during prolonged exposure to stress
1. Alarm Reaction
- NA release from sympathetic nerves
- Adrenaline and NA release from adrenal medulla
- Cortisol release from adrenal cortex
2. Resistance
- Cortisol action prolonged, effect of adrenaline starts to wear off
3. Exhaustion
- Prolonged stress causing continued cortisol secretion → muscle wastage, suppression of immune system and hyperglycaemia
When does the stress response become pathological?
When you cannot escape the stressor OR when trivial stressors elicit a strong stress response
Describe the principles of the stress- performance curve
A certain degree of stress is good to an extent- can help with performance
Too much or too little stress both lead to poor performance
What is social phobia?
Anxiety about being in social situations
What are specific phobias?
Spiders, heights etc