Anxiety Disorders Flashcards
What is the biomechanical “engineering” model of stress?
External source of stress is put onto an individual
What is the medicophysiological model of stress?
Fight or flight response
What is the psychological “transactional” model of stress?
Interactive model where a persons response to a stressor will depend on ability to cope
What is problem focussed coping?
Where people modify the stressor (e.g. studying for exams)
What is emotion focussed coping?
Modifying emotional reaction to stressor
Symptoms of anxiety?
- Psychological arousal
- Autonomic arousal
- Muscle tension
- Hyperventilation
- Sleep disturbance
What is psychological arousal?
- Fearful anticipation
- Irritability
- Sensitivity to noise
- Poor concentration
- Worrying thoughts
What is autonomic arousal?
- GI (dry mouth, nausea, wind ect)
- Resp (difficulty breathing)
- CV (palpitations, chest pain)
- Genitourinary (frequency/urgency, erectile failure ect)
- CNS (dizziness and sweating)
What does muscle tension cause?
Tremor
Headache
Muscle pain
Similarities and difference between phobic anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder?
Both have the same symptoms but with phobia disorder the symptoms occur in particular circumstances, general they occur all the time
Differential diagnosis for anxiety disorder?
- Depression, schizophrenia, dementia, substance misuse
- Thyrotoxicosis, phaeochromocytoma, hypoglycaemia, asthma or arrhythmias
Management of general anxiety disorder?
- Counselling
- Relaxation training
- Medication
- CBT
Three syndromes in phobic anxiety disorder that are important?
- Specific phobias
- Social phobia
- Agoraphobia
Examples of specific phobias?
- Spiders, heights, dentist, blood ect
What is social phobia?
Inappropriate anxiety in situation where person feels observed or could be criticized (restraunts, shops or any queues, public speaking)
Symptoms of social phobia?
Same as GAD but blushing and tremor predominate
How is social phobia managed?
- CBT
- Education and advice
- SSRI antidepressants
What are the core features of obsessive compulsive disorder?
- Obsessional thoughts
- Compulsive acts (stereotypical behaviours repeated again and again)
Does OCD affect men or women more and what is the genetic abnormality?
M = W
5HT (serotonin) receptor function abnormalities
Management of OCD?
- Education and explanation
- SSRI (fluoxetine)
- Clomipramine
- CBT
- Psychosurgery (rare)
What is PTSD?
Delayed and or protracted reaction to a stressor of exceptional severity
Key elements of PTSD?
Hyperarousal Re-experiencing phenomena - Flashbacks when awake - Nightmares during sleep Avoidance of reminders - Emotional numbness - Cue avoidance - Recall difficulties
Management of PTSD?
- Survivors of disasters screened at one month
- Mild symptoms > watchful waiting and review in a month
- Trauma-focused CBT if more severe symptoms
- Eye movement desensitisation and reprocesing
- Risk of dependance with sedatives but patient may prefer medication so SSRI or TCA
