anxiety disorders

Question 1

generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 1

• hard to cope/distressing
• symptoms = restlessness, fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbance, muscle tension, and difficulty concentrating
• adult diagnosis = 3/6 symptoms
• children diagnosis = 1/3 symptoms
• age of onset = 30 years old

Question 2

panic disorder

Answer 2

• recurrent uncued panic attack followed by changes in behaviour, or persistent concern for another attack
• age of onset = 20 years old
• more common in women less in children
• sometimes in conjunction with agoraphobia

Question 3

agoraphobia

Answer 3

• fear of open spaces, closed spaces, public transit etc.
• significant fear & anxiety
• extreme distress
• 6 month until diagnosis
• age of onset = 17 - 24 years

Question 4

social anxiety disorder

Answer 4

• fear of social situations that provoke scrutiny
• negative evaluation from peers
• social situations are endured with intense distress
• 6 month diagnosis criteria
• age of onset = 8 - 15 years
• comorbidity with other anxiety disorders

Question 5

specific phobias

Answer 5

• specific and recurrent fear or anxiety of objects or situations
• 6 month diagnosis criteria
• different subtypes: animals, natural environment, situational, blood infections, and others (clowns, choking, vomiting etc.)
• higher in women

Question 6

ego dystonic thoughts

Answer 6

distressing, repugnant, inconsistent thoughts compared to own self value

Question 7

ego syntonic thoughts

Answer 7

compatible ways of thinking based on own fundamental beliefs

Question 8

cued panic attacks

Answer 8

explained triggers for intense fears and changes in physiological beliefs

Question 9

uncued panic attacks

Answer 9

unexplained triggers for intense fears and changes in physiological beliefs

Question 10

OCD

Answer 10

• recurrent and persistent thoughts followed by repetitive behaviour and acts
• age of onset = 20 years
• 15% under 14 years
• 40% remit naturally
• same between men and women

Question 11

PTSD

Answer 11

• anxiety disorder in response to traumatic event
• as a result of fundamental beliefs being disrupted
• indirect + direct
• 1 month prevalence
• criteria A + criteria B-E
• age of onset = 23
• 1/2 recover on their own
• 2x more common in women

Question 12

criteria A (PTSD)

Answer 12

exposure to threatening event indirect or directly

Question 13

criteria B (PTSD)

Answer 13

reliving traumatic event

Question 14

criteria C (PTSD)

Answer 14

avoiding stimuli that reminds one of a traumatic event

Question 15

criteria D (PTSD)

Answer 15

negative mood following traumatic event

Question 16

criteria E (PTSD)

Answer 16

increased arousal and sensitivity following traumatic event

Question 17

VAM

Answer 17

• verbally accessible memories
• consciously processed & voluntarily recalled

Question 18

SAM

Answer 18

• situationally accessible memories
• unconsciously processed sensory info

Question 19

biological causes of anxiety

Answer 19

• ↑ norepinephrine ↓ serotonin ↓ dopamine ↓ GABA
• imbalance of behavioural inhibition system
• genetics

Question 20

psychological causes of anxiety

Answer 20

• cognitive distortions
• operant + classical conditioning
• dysfunctional beliefs + learned helplessness
• four types of temperament

Question 21

social/environmental causes of anxiety

Answer 21

• attachment to parent
• social modeling
• gender roles in coping (men cope with alcohol)
• physical influences (smoking increases anxiety)

Question 22

4 types of temperament

Answer 22

1. easy temperament (well adjusted)
2. easy to warm up
3. difficult temperament
4. behavioualy inhibited

Question 23

triple vulnerability theory

Answer 23

• integrated model:
  1. behavioural → negative affect (glass half empty)
  2. generalized psychology → lack of self confidence, self esteem
  3. specific psychology → health, social evaluation, physical danger