Anxiety disorders Flashcards
1
Q
anxiety
A
diffuse unpleasant vague sense of apprehension in anticipation of a future threat
something that could go wrong
2
Q
fear
A
emotional response to a real or perceived imminent threat
3
Q
differences between fear & anxiety
A
- fear associated with surges in automatic arousal - fight or flight
- Anxiety associated with muscle tension & vigilance in prep for future danger
- Anxiety also characterised by avoidance behs
4
Q
anxiety disorders
A
- Specific phobia
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Panic disorder (sometimes + agoraphobia)
- Generalised anxiety disorder
5
Q
core symptoms of anxiety disorders
A
- physiology - fear
- escape - how you would get rid of the fear
- avoidance - avoid coming into contact with the fear provoking stim itself
6
Q
genetics of anxiety
A
- Whether genetic or environmental factors influence on human psychiatric disorders is of course a question of relevance
- First-degree relatives are most likely to have the same anxiety disorder as the proband (Fyer et al 1995), but first-degree relatives are also at increased risk for other anxiety disorders
- But, as always, the environment is critical.
7
Q
gene-environment interactions (PTSD)
A
- can have the genes but need an environmental stressor
- With a susceptible brain there would be a smaller hippocampus - one of the conditions to increase bio susceptibility
- Without heritable component may experience the event but not develop PTSD
- With susceptible brain the experience will lead to a high risk of PTSD
8
Q
gene-environment interactions (animal model)
A
- Cross-fostering study: can take pups from high-licking bio mother to low-licking postnatal mother
- Having at least one factor of high-licking beh (prenatal or postnatal) will result in low anxiety
- Both bio & experience
9
Q
gene-environment interaction
anxiety
A
- Anxiety disorders involve a shared core with illness-specific signs and cognitions
- Characterized by fear (short term of long term) and avoidance behaviours
- Although genes account for variance in anxiety disorders, genes alone cannot explain it all, and the environment is critical.
10
Q
classical conditioning in anxiety
A
- Phenomena: phobia, exposure therapy, desensitization
- induce in the lab - learn beh
- Pairing of neutral event with foot shock/mild electric shock
11
Q
avoidance learning
compartment example
A
- 2 compartments - door in between
- Noise = shock on one side
- They learn to move to other component to avoid the shock
- Threat conditioning –> avoidance learning –> avoidance performance
12
Q
avoidance learning
screen example
A
- start with a black screen
- Don’t show designated response = shock
- Can avoid aversive event (shock) through avoidance response - teach them how to avoid the shock
13
Q
mowrer 2-factor theory
A
- classical & operant conditioning
- Fear to a stimulus through classical conditioning
- Instrumental conditioning (avoidance learning): animals escape/postpone aversive
- avoidance critical in maintenance of anxiety: -ve reinforcement
- Fear is main driver of avoidance
Also cognitive (Seligman & Johnston, 1973)
14
Q
fear & avoidance
A
- 2 factor theory: unidirectional, fear –> avoidance
- Treatment has been oriented to attenuate fear
- Newer conceptualizations (last decade) emphasize the bidirectional relationship between fear and avoidance, unlike Mowrer’s theory
15
Q
amygdala in fear & anxiety
A
- Amygdala is involved in the fear reaction to a threat (snake)
- Prediction that amygdala is overactive in anxiety states
- However, the current focus is on a “fear network” rather than a single structure (LeDoux, 2015)
- Amygdala results in bodily reactions to fear
