Anxiety Disorder - Characteristics of Disorders

Question 1

Anxiety disorders

Answer 1

Continuous feeling of fear and anxiety., which is disabling and can impose on daily function.
Most common of emotional disorders.

Question 2

Phobia

Answer 2

Irrational fear of an object or situation.
Person may experience:
- physical symptoms eg. shortness of breath
- feel intense terror
- may lose control of behaviour.
Only when fear really disrupts a persons life that the disorder will be diagnosed as a mental illness.

Question 3

3 types of phobias

Answer 3

Specific phobia (Simple phobias)
Social phobia
Agoraphobia

Question 4

Specific phobia

Answer 4

Simple phobia
Extreme fear of an object/situation that is not generally harmful.
Often patients know their fear is excessive and irrational, but they can’t overcome it. eg. fear of spiders.

Question 5

Phobia look at…

Answer 5

Stimulus – response.

Stimulus eg. spider provokes an immediate response similar to a panic attack

Question 6

DSM classification of specific phobias

Answer 6

• Marked persistent fear that is excessive and unreasonable
• Expose to stimulus provokes an immediate anxious response
• Phobia situation is avoided
• Phobia has last more than 6 months in people under the age of 18

Question 7

Two types of fear response

Answer 7

Adaptive

Maladaptive

Question 8

Adaptive

Answer 8

• Realistic concerns
• In proportion to threat
• Fear response subsides (becomes less intense)

Question 9

Maladaptive

Answer 9

• Unrealistic concerns
• Out of proportion to threat
• Fear response is persistent/chronic

Question 10

Adaptive to maladaptive

Answer 10

When fear becomes phobia

Question 11

Behavioural Characteristics of Phobias

Answer 11

How people act

• panic = cry
• avoidance = make conscious effort to avoid the phobic stimulus
• endurance = stay in presence of stimulus to endure high anxiety eg. flying

Question 12

Emotional Characteristics of Phobias

Answer 12

How people feel

• fear = extremely unpleasant response when a phobic stimulus is encountered
• anxiety = unpleasant state of high arousal and finds difficult to relax

Question 13

Cognitive Characteristics of Phobias

Answer 13

How people think

• selective attention to phobic stimulus - keeping eye on stimulus
• irrational beliefs - in relation to phobic stimulus, increases pressure
• cognitive distortions - the way person sees the stimulus

Question 14

DSM, ICD

Answer 14

Both classify that phobic situation is avoided.