Anxiety, Panic and Phobias Flashcards
What symptoms can be present in anxiety?
worry, panic
heart racing, sweating, breathless
checking, seeking reassurance
Name some physical symptoms of anxiety?
sweating, hot flushes, chills trembling, shaking muscle tension, aches, pains numbness or tingling dizziness, faint choking feeling lump in the throat palpitations difficulty breathing nausea
What is globus hystericus?
feeling of choking - lump in throat
What are some cognitive symptoms of anxiety?
fear of losing control mentally tense difficulty concentrating feeling that objects are unreal or that the self is distant hyper vigilance health anxiety
What happens to performance with increasing arousal?
performance increases - curve of anxiety to performance becomes optimal before becoming detrimental
What significance do anxiety and fear have in evolution?
coordinated neural systems that orchestrate behavioural responses to promote survival
What is the emotional filter of the brain?
amygdala
What happens first - sensory material via thalamus or cortically processed signal
thalamus information - act first, think later.
What isi the function of the amygdala?
controls how much attention a stimulus gets from the brain - highways to the visual cortex so can recognise threats and activate immediately
What happens to cortisol levels in acute stress?
increased
What makes anxiety pathological?
extent - more extreme than normal
context - in situations that are not usually anxiety provoking
what is generalised anxiety disorder?
anxiety that is generalised and persistent - i.e. not limited to a particular scenario
what are the main symptoms of GAD?
nervousness, trembling, sweating, palpitations, dizziness and epigastric discomfort
How long does GAD have to persist for to be classified?
most days for at least 6 months, uncontrollable and causing significant distress and functional impairment
Is GAD more common in males or females?
females 2:1
GAD tends to exist in patients on its own - T/F?
false - 90% comorbid with other psychiatric disorders
What are Panic Attacks?
recurrent attacks of sever anxiety which are not restricted to a particular situation and are unpredictable
Depression can sometimes produce panic attack-like symptoms - T/F?
true
What other features are commonly seen in patients with Panic attacks?
depression, drug and alcohol misuse
What area of the brain has increased metabolism in panic attacks?
parahippocampal gyrus
What is agoraphobia?
a fairly well defined cluster of phobias involving leaving home, public places, crowds, buses or planes. Avoidance is often prominent
Do patients with agoraphobia commonly have a reduced alcohol consumption?
no, increased to overcome fear
What are specific phobias?
a marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation
What are some examples of specific phobias?
flying heights animals/insect injections blood
Are people with specific phobias aware that their phobias are unreasonable?
Yes
What is social phobia/Social anxiety disorder?
a persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or possible scrutiny by others
What can result from social phobia?
poor school performance, school refusal, poor employment history
what is the neurobiology of social phobia?
bilateral increased activation of the amygdala
What is the course of anxiety disorders?
relapsing and remitting
How can anxiety disorders be distinguished from one another?
timing and pattern of symptoms
