Anxiety Disorders (Lec. 3) Flashcards
Fear
an alarm reaction that occurs in response to immediate danger
Anxiety
- a general feeling of apprehension about possible future danger
- complex blend of unpleasant emotions and cognitions
Anxiety involves 3 components:
1 - behavioral response
2 - physiological response
3 - psychological/cognitive experience
Anxiety Disorders
characterized by unrealistic, irrational fears or anxieties that cause significant distress and/or impairments in functioning
Anxiety Disorders listed in DSM - V
- Generalized Anxiety Disorders
- panic disorder (and panic attack specifier)
- agoraphobia
- specific phobia
- social anxiety disorder
- separation anxiety disorder
- selective mutism
Phobia
persistent and irrational fear of some specific object or situation that presents little or no actual danger yet leads to a great deal of avoidance
Specific phobia
strong and persistent fear that is triggered by presence of a specific object or situation and leads to significant distress and/or impairment in a person’s ability to function
Prepared learning
(etiology of phobias) “evolutionary preparedness” for acquiring certain fears and phobias to situations that may once have posed a threat to ancestors
Social anxiety disorder
marked and persistent disabling fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others
Cognitive restructuring
exposure + CBT: techniques in which the therapist attempts to help clients with social phobia identify and then challenge their underlying negative, automatic thoughts
Panic disorder
occurrence of RECCURRENT unexpected panic attacks, often accompanied by intense anxiety about about having another one
Panic attack
abrupt surge in intense fear or discomfort that appears to come out of the blue; many physical and cognitive symptoms such as fear of dying or losing control; reaches peak within minutes
Agoraphobia
fear of being in places or situations where a panic attack may occur and from which escape would be physically difficult or psychologically embarrassing;
common places include crowded places like shopping malls, movie theaters, stores
Amygdala
collection of nuclei in front of hippocampus in limbic system - critically involved in emotion of fear
Generalized anxiety disorder
chronic excessive and uncontrollable worry about a number of events or activities, with no specific threat present, accompanied by certain symptoms
worry
relatively uncontrollable sequence of negative emotional thoughts and images where you anticipate future threats or dangers
Anxiolytic
Anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines = Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin).
Distinguishing Panic Disorder from Anxiety
Panic disorder is:
- more focus
- less diffused
- more intense
- sudden onset
un-cued panic attacks
Panic attacks that occur unexpectedly without any warning; necessary to have in order to diagnose panic disorder
cued panic attacks
Panic attacks triggered by a specific situation; more likely a phobia
Locus coeruleus
area in brainstem where panic attacks are triggered; area is associated with norepinephrine production
Antidepressants
includes SSRIs (Prozac), SNRIs (Serotonin-Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), Tricyclics
Panic Control Therapy (PCT)
exposure to somatic sensations that are associated with panic attack (heart rate, sweating) in a safe setting
Panic attack specifier
specifier = any additional descriptive information about the individual that is provided (doesn’t change diagnosis but gives more info); can be added to any disorder (ie. major depressive disorder with panic attack specifier)
Learned association
Cognitive-Behavioral theory for phobias; classically conditioned to associate an object/situation with fear from previous traumatic event
Self-efficacy
sense of awareness about our ability to exercise control over events that effect our lives; could explain phobias and used to treat social anxiety
Systematic Desensitization
Combines relaxation with gradual exposure to feared object or situation - in vivo (actual exposure to fear) or imaginal (exposure to fear via imagery or imagination)
to treat phobias
Flooding
Intense, prolonged exposure to feared stimulus (to treat phobias)
Distinguishing Social Anxiety Disorder from Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia - more severe symptoms and being in open/social environments
Social Anxiety Disorder - more severe situations and being concerned about others’ opinions of you
separation anxiety
excessive fear/anxiety concerning separation from home or attachment figures; must have excessive anxiety given person’s developmental level
selective mutism
relatively rare disorder that is seen mostly in children; a consistent failure to speak in specific social situations in which they are expected to speak, but this is NOT due to speech impairment
sub-threshold symptoms
present commonly in co-morbidity of anxiety disorders; symptoms that don’t meet full DSM-V criteria but meet some
GABA
decrease is associated with anxiety
Serotonin (in anxiety disorders)
decrease is associated with anxiety
Norepinephrine
excess is associated with anxiety
D-cycloserine (DCS)
Enhances learning during exposure treatment; used with phobias and PTSD
