Anxiety Disorders Flashcards
What are the common characteristics of anxiety?
- Future-oriented mood state
- Women experience it in higher amounts
- How is anxiety is experienced?
o Somatic – sweating and shaking caused by sympathetic response
o Emotional – panicking
o Behavioral – avoid the what you fear
o Cognition – overestimation and negative self-image - When does anxiety become a disorder?
o Can’t control it and causes dysfunction
o Anxiety disorders = higher risk for suicide + alcohol + depressive + higher than avg cardiac death rate
What are the biological causes of anxiety?
- Higher rates among 1st degree relatives
- Meta-analytic study found that Panic disorders, GAD, and phobias have higher than expected heritability risks
- Pathophysiology – abnormal regulation of neurotransmitters
o Serotonin – mood, sleep, sex
o NE – arousal, attention, stress reactions (neurotransmitters)
o GABA – slows reuptake
o Glutamate – excitatory - Diet
- Stimulants
- Medical Conditions
What are the psychological causes of anxiety?
- Psychodynamic – unconscious threats to ego (moral, reality, neurotic)
- Cognitive
o Over-evaluation of danger and under-estimating ourselves
o Misinterpreting yourself
o Self-defeating thoughts - Behavioral
o Classical conditioning
o Operating conditioning – negative reinforcement of avoidance
What is the prevalence of social anxiety?
o 12-14% of American Population
o Irrational fear of being criticized (public speaking or performing)
o Peak onset 8-15yrs old
What are some possible explanations for social anxiety disorders?
o Cognitive – over interpret social evaluation and self-defeating thought
o Learning/conditioning via experience/observed
o Genetic biological – hereditary + hypersensitive amygdala
o Antidepressants (SSRIs) effective with 60-80%, mild tranqs work but with side effects such as high relapse rates
o CBT – exposure therapy and roleplay helps build confidence and restructure thoughts
What are some details regarding specific phobias and which are most common
- Irrational fear of an objection or situation
- 12-13% of pop
- Most common:
o Illness and injury
o Storms
o Animals
o Specific situations
o Heights (acrophobia)
What are some possible explanations for specific phobias developing?
o Conditioning – trauma
o Observational learning
o Negative reinforcement of fear maintaining behaviors
o Irrational/distorted thinking
o Psychodynamic – unconscious conflicts are displaced onto objects
o Higher inherited ANS reactivity
How do you treat specific phobias?
o CBT is best
Systematic desensitization: train relaxation, hierarchy with fear rating
Exposure therapies: gradual exposure
VRT: VR training
Modeling: demonstrate exposure to fear
Medications: benzodiazepines and SSRIs – but symptoms come back when meds stop
What is agoraphobia?
- Fear of leaving familiar environment
- Often co-diagnosed with panic disorder
- 1-2% prevalence
- Singer Jewel experienced* Fear of leaving familiar environment
- Often co-diagnosed with panic disorder
- 1-2% prevalence
- Singer Jewel experienced
What is GAD and its causes? How to treat?
- Pathologically worry
- Prevalence 6%
- Causes
o Over-reactivity of NE pathways and irregularities in amygdala and prefrontal cortex
o Psychodynamic – conflicts in unconscious
o Irrational thinking – always ruminate about the bad things that can happen - Current treatment
o Buspar, SSRIs and benzos have moderate effect
o CBT – restructure thoughts and incorporate relaxation
What is Panic Disorder? What are its causes and treatments?
- Occurrence and fear recurrent panic attacks for at least a month
- Panic attack
o Sweating
o Chest discomfort/difficulty breathing
o Extreme fear
o Losing control - Attributed to surge of E and NE and low GABA
- Can develop into agoraphobia (20%)
- 5% prevalent
- High risk of suicide
- Causes
o Psychoanalytic theory – unconscious threats to ego
o Cognitive theory – over interpret and misunderstand bodily cues
o Biological perspectives – genetic vulnerability and low levels of GABA and serotonin - Treatment
o SSRIs and CBT
