Anxiety Disorders

Question 1

Definition of an anxiety disorder

Answer 1

An unpleasant emotional state with excessive fear accompanied with autonomic arousal.
Thought to be due to an excess of NA and low 5HT and GABA

Question 2

Symptoms of GAD?

Answer 2

Constantly feeling worried, tired, can’t sleep

Feel motor symptoms - restless, fidgety, can’t eat

Question 3

Definition of GAD?

Answer 3

Constant high levels of anxiety with no known trigger.
Worse with stressful life events
Can last months

Question 4

Definition of Panic Disorder?

Answer 4

Attacks of high levels of anxiety with an unknown cause, with the feeling like you’re going to die
Can last minutes to days

Question 5

Conditions associated with Panic Disorder?

Answer 5

COPD (due to feeling breathless)

Agoraphobia

Question 6

Risk Factors for Anxiety Disorders

Answer 6

Female
Young
Genetics
Active Fear Circuit
Negative Life Experience
Substance Abuse

Question 7

How common are anxiety disorders?

Answer 7

6% of the population have them

Question 8

Autonomic Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders?

Answer 8

High HR
Sweating
Palpitations
High Resp Rate
Tingling Fingers 
Stomach Cramps
Headache
Dizziness

Question 9

How to treat GAD

Answer 9

CBT, self help, reassure
SSRI
Benzo (for acute attacks)

Question 10

Treating Panic Disorders?

Answer 10

CBT and self help
Family Therapy
SSRI or TCA

Question 11

Definition of a phobia?

Answer 11

Anxiety which is linked to an irrational fear of something which is not currently life threatening

Question 12

Types of Phobia?

Answer 12

Specific e.g. spiders, the dark
Agoraphobia - fear of wide open spaces, where it would be difficult to escape
Social Phobia - fear of social situations

Question 13

Risk factors for agoraphobia?

Answer 13

Female

FHx

Question 14

Risks for social phobia?

Answer 14

M=F

Mid teens

Question 15

Treating phobias?

Answer 15

Graded Exposure with CBT
Social Skills Training
SSRI
Psychodynamic Therapy

Question 16

What is OCD?

Answer 16

Condition where there is a time-consuming negative thought (obsession) which is egodystonic which requires a specific compulsion to relieve the anxiety/distress

Question 17

Most common compulsions in OCD?

Answer 17

Contamination

Pathological Doubt and checking things

Question 18

Treating OCD?

Answer 18

CBT and Exposure therapy
SSRI
Family and supportive therapy

Question 19

Risk Factors for OCD?

Answer 19

FHx
Personality - rigid, perfectionist
Genetics
Social - protective family
PANDAs

Question 20

What are some stress reactions?

Describe

Answer 20

Acute Stress reaction (instant reaction to life event, should go within a week, feel numb, depersonalisation, derealisation, anxious)

Grief Reaction
Adjustment reaction - abnormal reaction to life event/change should go within 6 months

PTSD - appears about 6 months after trauma, you get re-experiencing and negative symptoms. 10% trauma get

Question 21

How do you treat PTSD?

Answer 21

EMDR
CBT - re-live the trauma and change thoughts around it
SSRI

Question 22

Treating other stress responses?

Answer 22

Reassure and support