Anxiety & Panic Disorders

Question 1

Fear

Answer 1

basic emotion that involves activation of the “fight-or-flight” response

Question 2

Anxiety

Answer 2

apprehension about possible danger

• oriented to the future and more diffuse than fear

Question 3

3 components of Anxiety

Answer 3

1. cognitive/subjective,
2. physiological
3. behavioral components

Question 4

Anxiety Disorders

Answer 4

unrealistic, irrational fears or anxieties of disabling intensity as their most obvious manifestation

Question 5

Primary types of Anxiety Disorder

Answer 5

Specific phobia
Social phobia
Panic disorder with or w/out agoraphobia
Generalized anxiety disorder
OCD
Acute stress disorder
PTSD

Question 6

Specific Phobia

Answer 6

strong and persistent fear that is recognized as excessive or unreasonable and is triggered by a specific object or situation

Question 7

Psychological Causal Factors of Specific Phobia

Answer 7

Psychoanalytic viewpoint—a defense against anxiety stemming from repressed id impulses

Learned behavior/classical conditioning
Vicarious conditioning
Individual differences in learning
Evolutionary preparedness

Question 8

Tx of Specific Phobias

Answer 8

Exposure therapy

involve participant modeling or virtual reality components
Can also be combined with cognitive techniques

Question 9

Social Phobia

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

Psychological Causal Factors of Social Phobias

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Cognitive Therapy for Social Phobias

Answer 11

Cognitive restructuring to change distorted automatic thoughts

Question 12

Behavior therapy for Social Phobias

Answer 12

Exposure to social situations that evoke fear

Question 13

Meds for Social Phobias

Answer 13

Antidepressants

Question 14

Panic Disorder

Answer 14

• occurrence of panic attacks that often seem to come “out of the blue”
• worry about additional attacks
• Attacks are brief but intense

Question 15

Agoraphobia

Answer 15

Anxiety about being in places from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing

Question 16

1st Panic Attack

Answer 16

frequently follows feelings of distress or highly stressful life circumstance

many dont develop panic disorder

Question 17

Behavioral & cognitive causal factors of Panic Disorder

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

Panic Circle

Answer 18

Question 19

Tx of panic Disorder

Answer 19

Medications:

• Anxiolytics
• Antidepressants

Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments

Question 20

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Answer 20

chronic or excessive worry about a number of events and activities

• often co-occurs with other Axis I disorders

Question 21

Psychological Causal Factors of GAD

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

Bio Causal Factors of GAD

Answer 22

• The neurotransmitters GABA, serotonin, and perhaps norepinephrine all play a role in anxiety
• CRH also plays a role

Question 23

Tx of GAD

Answer 23

• Anxiolytics
• Buspirone
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy has become increasingly effective

Question 24

OCD

Answer 24

1. occurrence of unwanted and intrusive obsessive thoughts or distressing images
2. accompanied by compulsive behaviors performed to

• Neutralize the obsessive thoughts or images
• Prevent some dreaded event or situation

Question 25

Psychological Causal Factors of OCD

Answer 25

• 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

Question 26

Bio Causal Factors in OCD

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Tx of OCD

Answer 27

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