Anxiety & Panic Disorders Flashcards
Fear
basic emotion that involves activation of the “fight-or-flight” response
Anxiety
apprehension about possible danger
- oriented to the future and more diffuse than fear
3 components of Anxiety
- cognitive/subjective,
- physiological
- behavioral components
Anxiety Disorders
unrealistic, irrational fears or anxieties of disabling intensity as their most obvious manifestation
Primary types of Anxiety Disorder
Specific phobia
Social phobia
Panic disorder with or w/out agoraphobia
Generalized anxiety disorder
OCD
Acute stress disorder
PTSD
Specific Phobia
strong and persistent fear that is recognized as excessive or unreasonable and is triggered by a specific object or situation
Psychological Causal Factors of Specific Phobia
Psychoanalytic viewpoint—a defense against anxiety stemming from repressed id impulses
Learned behavior/classical conditioning
Vicarious conditioning
Individual differences in learning
Evolutionary preparedness
Tx of Specific Phobias
Exposure therapy
involve participant modeling or virtual reality components
Can also be combined with cognitive techniques
Social Phobia
- disabling fears of one or more specific social situations
- fears that she or he may be exposed to the scrutiny
- potential negative evaluation of others and to humiliation or embarrassment
Psychological Causal Factors of Social Phobias
Learned behavior: Classical conditioning that is direct or vicarious in nature
Evolutionary factors: Predisposition based on social hierarchies
Perceptions of uncontrollability and unpredictability
Cognitive biases toward “danger schemas” in social situations
Cognitive Therapy for Social Phobias
Cognitive restructuring to change distorted automatic thoughts
Behavior therapy for Social Phobias
Exposure to social situations that evoke fear
Meds for Social Phobias
Antidepressants
Panic Disorder
- occurrence of panic attacks that often seem to come “out of the blue”
- worry about additional attacks
- Attacks are brief but intense
Agoraphobia
Anxiety about being in places from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing
1st Panic Attack
frequently follows feelings of distress or highly stressful life circumstance
many dont develop panic disorder
Behavioral & cognitive causal factors of Panic Disorder
- Comprehensive learning theory of panic disorder
- Cognitive theory of panic
- Anxiety sensitivity and perceived control
- Safety behaviors and the persistence of panic
- Cognitive biases and the maintenance of panic
Panic Circle
Tx of panic Disorder
Medications:
- Anxiolytics
- Antidepressants
Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
chronic or excessive worry about a number of events and activities
- often co-occurs with other Axis I disorders
Psychological Causal Factors of GAD
- results from conflict between the id and the ego
- Perceptions of uncontrollability and unpredictability
- A sense of mastery can help
- Anxiety is associated with an automatic attentional bias toward threatening information in the environment
Bio Causal Factors of GAD
- The neurotransmitters GABA, serotonin, and perhaps norepinephrine all play a role in anxiety
- CRH also plays a role
Tx of GAD
- Anxiolytics
- Buspirone
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy has become increasingly effective
OCD
- occurrence of unwanted and intrusive obsessive thoughts or distressing images
- accompanied by compulsive behaviors performed to
- Neutralize the obsessive thoughts or images
- Prevent some dreaded event or situation
Psychological Causal Factors of OCD
- Neutral stimuli become associated with fearful thoughts via classical conditioning
- Obsessions with contamination have evolutionary roots
- Attempting to suppress unwanted thoughts may increase those thoughts
- Cognitive biases toward material relevant to one’s obsessive concerns
Bio Causal Factors in OCD
Abnormalities in brain function may include:
- structural abnormalities in the caudate nucleus
- high metabolic levels in other parts of the brain
- Serotonin is strongly implicated in OCD
Tx of OCD
Exposure and response prevention = most effective
- Exposure to anxiety-producing obsession, prevention of compulsion typically used
- Gradually move through hierarchy of stimuli
Medications that affect the neurotransmitter serotonin
