Anxiety Disorders Flashcards
Which age group w/ Separation Anxiety Disorder are over-concerned about offspring and spouses?
Adults
12 month prevalence
Females to Males 2:1
Specific Phobias
What should you treat first w/ patients w/ specific phobias
Comorbid disorders (if present)
The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairement in functioning (academic, occupational, social)
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Benzodiazepines → can be utilized short term → screen for SUD (substance use disorder)
- Lorazepam (Ativan) 30 minutes prior to boarding a plane
- Diazepam (Valium) 30 to 45 minutes prior to MRI
Tx for Specific Phobias
- Recurrent excessive distress when anticipating/experiencing separation from home or major attachment figure
- Persistent and excessive worry about losing major attachment figures or possible harm to them (illness, injury, disasters, or death)
- Persistent and excessive worry about experiencing an untoward event which separates (getting lost, being kidnapped, having accident, becoming ill)
- Persistent reluctance or refusal to go out (due to fear of separation)
At least 3 of these = Separation Anxiety Disorder
(DSM Criteria 1)
Describe the genetic factor of Specific Phobias
1st degree relatives more likley to have phobia in same category (parent: dogs, child: spiders)
- Developmentally inappropriate and excessive fear/anxiety of separation from whom individual is attached to
Separation Anxiety Disorder
- unique propensity to vasovagal syncope
- Brief elevation of heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) followed by deceleration of HR and BP → CNS hypoxia → syncope
Blood injection injury phobia
(specific phobia)
2 Comorbidities of children w/ Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Specific Phobia
- Inborn response to threat or to the absence of people or objects that signify safety
- Can result in cognitive (worry) and somatic (racing heart, sweating, shaking, freezing, etc.) symptoms.
Normal adaptive anxiety
May only express anxiety from Separation Anxiety Disorder when separation is experienced
Younger children
•Excessive attention and focus on all internal and external stimuli secondary to paranoid stance
Hypervigilance
- anxiety that is excessive, impairs function.
Pathologic anxiety
At what age do infants develop stranger anxiety?
1 year
Onset may be as early as preschool age and at any time during childhood → may persist into adulthood
- Adolescent onset is rare
- Adult onset → many not recall childhood disorder but may recall symptoms
Separation Anxiety
- Anxiety exceeds what would be expected for developmental level
- is part of development
Separation Anxiety Disorder
•confronting stimulus in real world in a safe and controlled manner (MC and most effective)
In vivo exposure
(Tx for specific phobias)
**Comborbidities of adults w/ Separation Anxiety Disorder**
Wide range of other comorbidities
(Phobias, panic disorder, depression) + many more
reduction in physical and social functioning → risk of depression
Fear of falling in older adults can reduce mobility
- The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent and lasting at least ____ in children and adolescents
- Typically lasting _____ or more in adults.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
- 4 weeks in children/adolescents
- 6 months or more in adults
- Frequently associated with depression in older adults
- Increased risk of developing other anxiety disorders, depressive and bipolar disorders, substance-abuse related disorders, somatic disorders, and personality disorders (particularly dependent PD)
Comorbidities of Specific Phobias