Anxiety Disorder Flashcards
What is the relationship between anxiety and fear?
Anxiety is related to but distinct from fear.
How is fear defined?
Fear is distress about specific dangerous objects or situations.
How is anxiety defined?
Anxiety is the feeling of unease about unspecified danger.
What is the nature of anxiety compared to fear?
Anxiety shares the same multidimensional nature as fear, consisting of cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral elements.
What are some somatic symptoms of anxiety?
Fast or irregular heartbeat, hyperventilating, muscle tension, trembling, sleep disturbance (insomnia).
What emotions are associated with anxiety?
Feelings of apprehension, panic, and dread.
What are the behavioral aspects of anxiety?
Involuntary behaviors such as sweating, blushing, and goosebumps, and voluntary behaviors such as running away.
What cognitive aspects distinguish fear from anxiety?
In fear, there is an appraisal of imminent danger; in anxiety, there is an expectation of diffuse and uncertain danger.
What characterizes anxiety?
Anxiety is characterized by catastrophic worry, hypervigilance, and intrusive thoughts.
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders are characterized by intense levels of anxiety.
What are some symptoms of anxiety disorders?
Extreme apprehension, always fearing the worst, marked efforts to guard against possible disasters, hyper-vigilance to possible dangers.
What are the six main anxiety disorders?
Phobias, Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
What are phobias?
Phobias refer to an intense and irrational fear of an object or situation.
What is a key feature of phobias?
Irrationality is a key feature of phobias.
What triggers intense fear in phobias?
Phobic stimuli trigger intense fear and even panic.
How common are phobias?
60% of the general population report experiencing ‘unreasonable’ fears; lifetime prevalence of phobias is 7.4%.
Which gender is more likely to experience phobias?
Phobias are more common in females (9.8%) than males (4.9%).
What are common types of phobias?
Animal phobias, heights phobias, water phobia, claustrophobia, blood-injury-injection phobias.
What is the psychodynamic explanation for phobias?
According to Freud, phobias are defenses against anxiety related to a repressed id impulse.
What does the learning explanation suggest about phobias?
Phobias are results of previous learning, such as classical conditioning.
What is a problem with the learning explanation of phobias?
Many phobic individuals have no memory of an aversive experience.
What is biological preparedness in relation to phobias?
Some stimuli can affect genes, influencing the likelihood of developing phobias.
What role does the amygdala play in phobias?
The amygdala has a key role in phobias, showing a linear relationship between its activity and subjective fear.
What is the cognitive explanation of phobias?
Phobic beliefs maintain fear and promote avoidance of phobic stimuli.
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
GAD is a pervasive condition where individuals experience continual apprehension about future events and chronic pathological worrying.
What physiological symptoms are associated with GAD?
High or irregular heart rate, profuse sweating, breathing difficulties, and insomnia.
What psychological symptoms are associated with GAD?
Persistent worry, feelings of inadequacy, over-sensitivity, and inability to concentrate.
What is the prevalence of GAD?
GAD is the most common anxiety disorder, with a prevalence of 4.4% in the UK.
What biological factors contribute to GAD?
Neurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin are implicated in GAD.
What is panic disorder?
Panic disorder is characterized by repeated panic or anxiety attacks.
What are the physiological symptoms of panic disorder?
Irregular heart rate, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, sweating, trembling.
What psychological experiences are associated with panic disorder?
Feelings of terror or extreme apprehension, possibly depersonalization.
What is agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a place where the person does not feel safe, often leading to avoidance of leaving home.
What is the prevalence of panic disorder?
Panic disorder has a lifetime prevalence of between 1.6% and 5.2%.
What role do genes play in panic disorder?
There is a strong genetic link, with higher concordance rates in MZ twins compared to DZ twins.
What is the role of anxiety sensitivity in panic disorder?
Individuals with high anxiety sensitivity exhibit maladaptive beliefs that bodily sensations predict harm.
What is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)?
SAD is a severe and persistent fear of social or performance situations.
How common is SAD?
Lifetime prevalence rate of 6.7% in Europe and 10% in UK students.
What genetic factors are associated with SAD?
Children with SAD often have parents with SAD, suggesting a genetic link.
What brain structures are implicated in SAD?
Amygdala hyperactivity and disrupted white matter tracts linking the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala.
What is the risk of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) in children with Behavioral Inhibition (BI)?
Children with BI have a 17% greater risk of SAD compared to those without BI.
What does the amygdala’s hyperactivity indicate in patients with SAD?
Amygdala hyperactivity has been reported during aversive social situations and when viewing threatening faces.
What white matter disruption is associated with SAD?
The white matter tracts linking the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala are disrupted in SAD.
What does the dysfunction of the frontal lobes suggest in SAD?
SAD is associated with dysfunction of the modulatory effects of the frontal lobes on amygdala activity.
How are glutamate levels in the anterior cingulate cortex related to SAD?
Glutamate levels are higher in SAD, suggesting a disruption in the normal functioning of the prefrontal cortex.
What parental factors are associated with children who have SAD?
Parents of children with SAD tend to be over-controlling, overprotective, and less sociable.
How do parents of children with SAD typically discipline?
They are more likely to use shame as a method of discipline.
What maladaptive behavior can children learn from anxious caregivers?
Children can learn maladaptive social skills vicariously by watching their anxious caregivers.
What cognitive expectations do individuals with SAD have?
Individuals with SAD expect more negative social interactions and interpret their performance negatively.
What is the focus of practitioners regarding recovery?
Practitioners focus on remission of symptoms and health outcomes.
How do service users view recovery?
Service users have a more complex and personal conception of recovery linked to their experiences.
What is clinical recovery?
Clinical recovery refers to the remission of symptoms, such as a reduction in symptoms.
What does personal recovery involve?
Personal recovery involves self-identity, re-establishment of goals, and taking responsibility.
What is the importance of social recovery?
Social interaction is crucial during recovery as individuals may internalize societal notions of mental health.
What is functional recovery?
Functional recovery emphasizes the importance of work in the recovery process.
What is the primary function of anxiolytics?
Anxiolytics reduce anxiety by increasing GABA activity, which reduces noradrenaline activity.
What is the most commonly prescribed anxiolytic?
Benzodiazepines are the most commonly prescribed anxiolytics.
What disorders are benzodiazepines effective in treating?
They are effective for treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorder.
What is the role of antidepressants in treating anxiety disorders?
Antidepressants are used to treat GAD, social anxiety, and panic disorder due to the comorbidity of depression.
What are the advantages of SSRIs over benzodiazepines?
SSRIs have fewer and less serious side effects than benzodiazepines.
What is the effectiveness of exposure therapy?
Exposure therapy is effective for specific phobias, with 90% improvement and 65% no longer having the phobia.
What are the two methods of exposure therapy?
Flooding involves exposure to trigger stimuli, while systematic desensitization involves gradual exposure using a hierarchy.
How effective is exposure therapy for social anxiety?
42% of participants recover from social anxiety using exposure therapy.
What is the benefit of virtual reality in exposure therapy?
Virtual reality is used to expose individuals to their triggers, leading to significant improvements in social anxiety, phobias, and panic disorders.
What does cognitive therapy address in anxiety disorders?
Cognitive therapy addresses dysfunctional thoughts and biased information processing underlying anxiety.
How is cognitive restructuring used in phobias?
Cognitive restructuring is used alongside exposure to combat phobic beliefs.
What is the effectiveness of cognitive therapy confirmed for?
CBT is confirmed effective for specific phobias, social anxiety, panic disorder, and GAD.
What is attention bias modification (ABM)?
ABM is based on the dot probe task, helping participants learn to avoid negative stimuli.
What is the effectiveness of ABM?
ABM has shown effectiveness in treating GAD and phobias, with improvements in anxiety symptoms.
How should ABM be used in treatment?
ABM is useful as an adjunct rather than a frontline treatment option.
