Anxiety Disorders Flashcards
Explain the difference between pathological and normal anxiety?
- Anxiety disorders are pathological in EXTENT – i.e. the anxiety is more extreme than normal and/or pathological in CONTEXT – i.e. anxiety is present in situations that are not “normally” anxiety provoking
- Anxiety disorders cause significant distress and impairment of social/ occupational/ other function
- The stress response: exposure to stress results in instantaneous and concurrent biological responses
- The amygdala acts as the emotional filter of the brain for assessing whether sensory material via the thalamus requires a stress or fear response (ms), this is modified by the later received cortically processed signal (i.e. act first, think later)
- In pathological anxiety there is an initial response and then cognition kicks in to perpetuate the response
Define generalised anxiety disorder?
- Anxiety that is generalized and persistent but not restricted to, or even strongly predominating in any particular environmental circumstances
- Persistent and chronic (fluctuating course)
- The anxiety is not about a particular thing but many things
What are the dominant symptoms and feelings patients may have in GAD?
- Dominant symptoms are variable but include complaints of persistent nervousness, trembling, muscular tensions, sweating, lightheadedness, palpitations, dizziness and epigastric discomfort
- Typically associated with restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating or mind goes blank, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance
What is the criteria to diagnose GAD?
- It is NOT due to any other disorder (i.e. they don’t have GAD due to hyperthyroid because if hyperthyroid is treated the anxiety gets better)
- Needs to be severe enough to be long lasting (most days for at least 6 months), not controllable and causing significant distress/ impaired function
What is the typical age of onset for GAD?
- Typical age of onset = 20-40 (it is odd for someone to present with GAD later and other causes should be ruled out)
Step management for GAD?
Step 1 (for everyone): education, self help, active monitoring
Step 2 (for those not improved by step 1): low intensity CBT, self help, self help groups
Step 3 (GAD causing functional impairment/ not responded to step 2): high intensity CBT and/or drug treatment
Step 4 (refractory/ risk of self harm/ marked functional impairment): refer for highly specialised help
Define panic disorder? Explain how it differs from GAD?
- Essential feature is recurrent attacks of severe anxiety (panic) which are not restricted to any particular situation or set of circumstances and are therefore unpredictable
- The anxiety is more severe than GAD but is short lasting, and the person feels fine after the episode (this is in contrast to GAD where there is a constant level of background anxiety)
What are the dominant symptoms of panic disorders?
- Dominant symptoms: sudden onset chest pain, palpitations, choking sensations, dizziness and feelings of unreality, also secondary feelings of fear of dying, losing control or going mad
What is the most common type of anxiety disorder?
GAD
Management of panic disorder?
- In mild offer self help and education, next step is CBT, next is SSRI (or other antidepressant but SSRI is first line), then refer to mental health services if still not improving
Presentation of agorophobia?
- Avoidance of the phobic situation is often prominent and some people with agoraphobia experience little anxiety because they are able to avoid their phobic situations
- Often involves other people, alcohol or technology to avoid anxiety e.g. others do shopping, drink before going out to overcome panic, internet shopping
Management of agoraphobia?
- CBT and exposure therapy is first line
- SSRIS/ SNRIS if needed
- Benzodiazepines are used short term only
Define specific phobias?
- A marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation e.g. flying, heights, animals, insects, blood
Signs/ symptoms of specific phobias?
Even talking about the phobia can cause distress
Exposure to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response akin to a panic attack
AnticipatoryAnxiety
The person generally has good insight – they are aware that the fear is excessive and/ or unreasonable
Management of specific phobias?
Treatment is with behavioural therapy and graded exposure, add in CBT if necessary, SSRIs/ SNIRs if required can be helpful to augment behavioural therapy
Define social anxiety / phobia?
A persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others
Typically occurs in small social settings (vs agoraphobia which occurs in large crowds)
Signs/ symptoms of social phobia?
- Common anxiety symptoms are: blushing or shaking, fear of vomiting, urgency or fear of micturition or defaecation
- Tends to come on early in life resulting in poor school performance, school refusal and poor employment history
Management of social phobia?
CBT is treatment of choice, may add SSRI/ SNRI, benzodiazepines short term only
Explain what OCD is?
- Recurrent obsessional thoughts and/ or compulsive acts
- Obsessional thoughts may be ideas, images or impulses entering the mind in a stereotyped way, they are recognized as the patient’s own thoughts but are unpleasant, resistant and ego-dystonic (not in harmony with self)
- Involves repeated rituals, stereotyped behaviours, that are not enjoyable or functional and recognized as pointless
Criteria for OCD?
Obsessional symptoms or compulsive acts must be present most days for at least 2 weeks (moving away from a timeline in ICD 11) AND be a source of distress and interference with activities:
Obsessions must be individuals own thoughts
Resistance must be present
Rituals are not pleasant
Obsessional thoughts/ images/ impulses must be repetitive
Management of OCD?
CBT is the main treatment, then may add SSRIs
Explain why benzodiazepines should not be used long term in anxiety disorders?
Most anxiety disorders are chronic conditions so patients will simply become reliant on them
Define hypochondriasis/ illness anxiety disorder?
- Hypochondriasis is characterised by persistent preoccupation or fear about the possibility of having one or more serious, progressive or life-threatening illnesses
- The preoccupation is accompanied by either: repetitive and excessive health-related behaviours, such as repeatedly checking of the body for evidence of illness, spending inordinate amounts of time searching for information about the feared illness, repeatedly seeking reassurance (e.g. arranging multiple medical consultations); OR maladaptive avoidance behaviour related to health (e.g. avoids medical appointments)
- The symptoms result in significant distress or significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning
Define somatisation disorder/ somatic symptom disorder/ bodily distress disorder?
- Diagnosed when a person has a significant focus on physical symptoms e.g. pain, weakness, shortness of breath to a level that results in major distress and/ or problems functioning
- The individual has excessive thoughts, feelings and behaviours relating to the physical symptoms
- The physical symptoms may or may not be associated with a diagnosed medical condition but the person is experiencing symptoms and believes they are sick (not faking the illness)
- Diagnosis is based on the extent of the thoughts, feelings and behaviours related to the illness being out of proportion or excessive, the emphasis is not on the fact that a medical cause cannot be identified for their physical symptom
