Anxiety Disorders Flashcards
Separation Anxiety Disorder Criteria
Developmentally inappropriate and excessive fear/anxiety concerning separation from attachment figures as evidence by 3 of the following
- Recurrent excessive distress when anticipating or experiencing separation from home/major attachment figures
- Persistent and excessive worry about losing major attachment figures or possible harm to them
- Persistent and excessive worry about experiencing an event that causes separation (getting lost/kidnapped)
- Persistence reluctance or refusal to go out, away from the home, to school/work due to separation
- Persistent excessive fear of or reluctance about being alone
- Persistent reluctance to sleep away from home
- Repeated nightmares involving the theme of separation
- Repeated complaints of physical symptoms (headaches, stomachaches, nausea, or vomiting) when away from major attachment figure
Separation Anxiety Disorder Criteria: How long do the symptoms need to last for children and adolescents vs adults?
At least 4 weeks for children and adolescents
Typically 6 months or more in adults
Separation Anxiety Disorder Differential Diagnoses:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder*
- Panic Disorder*
- Agoraphobia*
- Conduct Disorder*
- SAD*
- PTSD*
- Depressive and Bipolar Disorders*
- Personality Disorders*
- GAD
- Anxiety and worry are about separation and not general worry
- Panic Disorder
- Anxiety around separation from attachment figures and worry about events happening to them, not an unexpected panic attack.
- Agoraphobia
- Not anxious about being trapped or tight places
- Conduct Disorder
- School avoidance is common in conduct disorder, but anxiety about separation is not responsible for school absences.
- SAD
- School refusal may be due to social anxiety due to a fear of being negatively judged rather than worry about separation from attachment figures.
- PTSD
- Central symptoms of PTSD concern intrusions and avoidance of memories of a traumatic event. While Separation Anxiety is due to avoidance and worry over well-being of attachment figures
- Depressive and bipolar disorders
- These disorders lead to low motivation to engage with the outside world while separation anxiety is concerned with fear or worry yep the attachment figures. People with separation anxiety can become depressed
- Personality Disorders
- Dependent personality disorder: Relying on others rather than concern for safety of attachment figures
- Borderline Personality Disorders: Fear of abandonment by loved ones and interpersonal problems rather than anxiety around separation
Selective Mutism Criteria
- Failure to speak in situations where there is an expectation for speaking
- Interference with educational/occupational performance
- 1 month duration at least
- Failure to speak is not due to education or knowledge or comfort of language
- Not better explained by a communication disorder
Selective Mutism: What is the minimum duration of the disturbance?
1 month
Selective Mutism Differential Diagnoses
Communication Disorders
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Social Anxiety Disorder
- Communication Disorders are not limited to a specific social situation
- Neurodev disorders can impact communication, selective mutism should be diagnosed with there is an established capacity to speak
- Social anxiety and selective mutism can be diagnosed together if both criteria are met
Specific Phobia Criteria
- Marked fear/anxiety about a specific object/situations
- Object almost always provokes immediate fear/anxiety
- Fear/Anxiety is out of proportion to actual danger
- Phobic object/situation is actively avoided or endured with intent fear/anxiety
- Fear/anxiety/avoidance causes clinically sig distress
- Fear/anxiety lasts for 6 months or more
- Disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder
Specific Phobia Specifiers
- Animal
- Natural environment (heights, storms, water)
- Blood-injection-injury (needles, invasive procedures)
- Situational (airplanes, elevators)
- Other (e.g., situations that may lead to choking or vomiting)
Specific Phobia: Differential Diagnoses
Difference between Specific Phobia and Agoraphobia
- Situational-specific phobia may resemble agoraphobia; however, the quantity of feared situations matters. If it is only one feared situation, then a situational-specific phobia diagnosis is warranted. If it is two or more, then an agoraphobia diagnosis is warranted.
Specific Phobia Differential Diagnosis:
Difference between Specific Phobia and Social Anxiety Disorder?
Situations where the fear is due to potential negative evaluation should be diagnosed as Social Anxiety Disorder
Specific Phobia Differential Diagnoses:
Difference between Separation Anxiety Disorder and Specific Phobia?
- If the fear is due to separation from a primary caregiver than a diagnoses of Separation Anxiety Disorder should be given
Specific Phobia Differential Diagnosis:
Difference between Panic Disorder and Specific Phobia?
Specific Phobia would be given if the panic attacks ONLY occurred in response to a specific object/situation. Panic Disorder is given if panic attacks are unexpected.
Specific Phobia Differential Diagnosis:
Difference between OCD and Specific Phobia
OCD should be diagnosed if the fear/anxiety of an object is a result of obsessions and if other diagnostic criteria for OCD are met.
Specific Phobia Differential Diagnosis
Difference between Specific Phobia and Trauma- and stressor-related disorders?
PTSD should be considered if fear/phobia follows a traumatic event.
Specific Phobia Differntial Diagnosis
Difference between Eating Disorders and Specific Phobia?
You do not diagnose Specific Phobia if the avoidance behavior is EXCLUSIVE to food and food-related cues.
Specific Phobia Differential Diagnosis:
Difference between Specific Phobia and Schizophrenia Spectrum and other Psychotic Disorders
If the fear/phobia is due to delusional thinking then you do not diagnose Specific Phobia.
Social Anxiety Disorder Criteria
- Fear or anxiety in one or more social situations where the individual is exposed to possible scrutiny
- Fear of acting in a way or show anxiety symptoms that will be negative evaluated
- Social situations almost always provoke fear or anxiety
- Social situations are avoided or endured with fear/anxiety
- Fear/anxiety causes clinically sig distress
- Fear/anxiety last for at least 6 months
- Fear/anxiety not attributable to physiological effects of a substance
- It is not related to or in excess with other medical conditions (burns, obesity)
- SPECIFY: Performance Only: Fear is restricted to speaking or performing in public
Social Phobia Differential Diagnoses:
Normative Shyness
Social Anxiety Disorder should be diagnosed if there is a significant impact on functioning
Social Anxiety Disorder Differential Diagnoses:
Difference between Agoraphobia and SAD
Social Anxiety Disorder’s criteria of being fearful of scrutiny by others differ than those with Agoraphobia where the fear may be due to difficulty escaping
Social Anxiety Disorder Differential Diagnoses:
Panic Disorder vs Social Anxiety Disorder
Panic attacks may be a part of Social Anxiety disorder; however, they are attributed to the fear of negative evaluation. Panic disorder involves the fear of the panic attacks themselves.
Social Anxiety Differential Diagnoses:
Difference between Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is common in GAD however the focus in on the ongoing relationship rather than being negatively evaluated
Social Anxiety Disorder Differential Diagnoses:
Difference between Separation Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder
Those with Separation Anxiety Disorder are generally comfortable in social settings with their attachment figures.
Social Anxiety Disorder Differential Diagnoses:
Difference between Specific Phobias and Social Anxiety Disorder
Individuals with Specific Phobias generally do not fear negative evaluations in social situations
Social Anxiety Disorder Differential Diagnoses:
Difference between Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety Disorder
Individuals with Selective Mutism do not fear negative evaluation in social situations where no speaking is required, whereas those with Social Anxiety Disorder still fear those settings.
Social Anxiety Disorders Differential Diagnoses:
Difference between MDD and Social Anxiety Disorder
There is a difference in fear of being negatively evaluated:
MDD: concern over being negatively evaluated due to feeling they are bad or not worthy of being like
SAD: concern over being negatively evaluated due to certain social behaviors or physical symptoms
Social Anxiety Differential Diagnoses:
Difference between Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder?
Individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder are preoccupied with perceived defects or flaws that are not observable. This preoccupation causes social anxiety and avoidance. If their fears are caused by their beliefs about their appearance than a separate diagnosis of SAD is not warranted.