Anxiety, OCD, and Related Disorders Flashcards
Fear
the central nervous systems physiological and emotional response to a serious threat to one’s well being
Anxiety
the central nervous systems physiological and emotional response to a vague sense of threat or danger
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
experience general and persistent feelings of worry and anxiety
- free-floating anxiety
- women diagnosed with this disorder outnumber men, 2:1
GAD: Sociocultural Perspective
most likely to develop in people that face ongoing dangerous societal conditions
- strongest force is poverty
- can also be caused by widespread contagious diseases
GAD: Psychodynamic Perspective
anxiety due to inadequate ego defence mechanisms
- overprotecting parents cause weak defence mechanisms when older
treatment
- free association
- therapists interpretations of transference, resistance, and dreams
GAD: Humanistic Perspective
GAD happens when people stop looking at themselves honestly and acceptingly
- children who fail to receive unconditional positive regard may become self critical and develop harsh standards, called conditions of worth
- treatment is client centred therapy
GAD:Cognitive-Behavioural Perspective
development of basic irrational assumptions
metacognitive therapy- suggest people with GAD hold both positive and negative beliefs about worrying
Meta-worries
worrying about worrying
Intolerance of Uncertainty Theory
individuals cannot tolerate the knowledge that negative events may occur
- biologically based
Avoidance Theory
people with GAD have greater bodily arousal and worrying serves to reduce this arousal
Rational-emotive therapy
point out the irrational assumptions held by clients, suggest more appropriate assumptions, and assign homework that gives the clients practice at challenging old assumptions and applying new ones
Break Down Worrying
- educate the clients about the role of worrying in their disorder
- clients observe their bodily arousal
- clients are to appreciate the triggers of their worrying
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
mindfulness based cognitive -behavioural therapy
GAD: Biological Perspective
says anxiety is biological; family having it increases probability of you developing it
Benzodiazepines
provides relief from anxiety
- certain neurons have receptors that receive the benzos
Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA)
a neurotransmitter whose low activity in the brains fear circuit has been linked to anxiety
Fear Circuit
prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, ínsula, and amygdala, a small almond-shaped brain structure that usually starts the emotional ball rolling
- hyperactive in those with GAD
Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs
drugs that calm people in low doses and helps them fall asleep in higher doses
Antidepressants
drugs that are usually used to lift the moods of depressed persons
- increase activity of serotonin and norepinephrine
Antipsychotics
commonly given to people with schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis, are also helpful to some individuals with more severe and treatment-resistant generalized anxiety disorder
Agoraphobia
fear of travelling to public places
Classic Conditioning
a process of learning by temporal association in which two events that repeatedly occur close together in time become fused in a persons mind and produce the same response
Modelling
a process of learning through imitation of other actions
Preparedness
a predisposition to develop certain fears
Systematic Desensitization
exposure treatment that uses relaxation training and a fear hierarchy to help clients with phobias react calmly to the objects or situations they dread
Flooding
client exposed repeatedly and intensively to feared objects and made to see that it is actually harmless
Social Anxiety
afraid of social or performance situations in which they might become embarrassed
- causes by maladaptive assumptions
- treated by medication ie; benzos and antidepressants
- also treated by cog-behav therapy
Social Skills Training
a therapy approach that helps people learn or improve social skills and assertiveness through role-playing and rehearsing of desirable behaviours
- model, role-play, rehearse, feedback, and reinforce
Panic Disorder
recurrent attacks of terror; common in those with anxiety
Panic Attacks
periodic, short bouts of panic that occur suddenly, reach a peal within minutes, and gradually pass
- anti-depressants help
Biological Challenge Tests
a procedure used to produce panic in participants or clients by having them exercise vigorously or perform some other potentially panic-inducing task in the presence of a researcher or therapist
OCD
individuals feel overrun by recurrent thoughts that cause anxiety or by the need to perform certain repetitive actions to reduce anxiety
- characterized by obsessions and compulsions
Obsessions
a persistent thought, idea, impulse, or image that is experienced repeatedly, and causes anxiety
Compulsions
a repetitive and rigid behaviour or mental act that a person feels driven to perform in order to prevent or reduce anxiety
OCD: Biological
cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit is hyper active in those with OCD
- hyperactive thalamus which leads to increased anxiety and attention towards this sensation
Trichotillomania
hair pulling disorder
Excoriation Disorder
skin-picking disorder
OCD Treatment
- antidepressants particularly SSRI’s to increase serotonin
- expose and response prevention; expose them to situations which activate their obsessions starting with the least anxiety provoking to the most and then prevent them from acting upon the compulsion
Cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit
network connecting the cortex, striatum, and the thalamus
- has a direct (positive feedback loop) and indirect (regulatory loop)
- OCD is when these pathways are imbalanced
Illness Anxiety
persistent anxiety about ones health
- treatment can include anti-depressants, exposure therapy, and response prevention
