Anxiety & Self-Harm

Question 1

What are some of the general symptoms of anxiety?

Answer 1

Periods of intense anxiety

Obsessional thoughts

Compulsions

Question 2

What are some of the physical symptoms of anxiety?

Answer 2

Palpitations

Sweating

Dry mouth

Splanchnic vasoconstriction (butterflies)

Tremor

Paraesthesia (pins and needles)

Depersonalisation

Syncope (fainting)

Question 3

What can anxiety disorder be conceptualised as?

Answer 3

Self-perpetuating network of positive feedback loops, arising from normally adaptive responses

Question 4

What is state anxiety?

Answer 4

Transitory emotional state consisting of feelings of apprehension, nervousness, and physiological sequelae such as an increased heart rate or respiration

Question 5

What is a major reason for anxiety existing?

Answer 5

To increase motivation to reduce harm

Question 6

When is anxiety a ‘disorder’?

Answer 6

If it is excessive, impacts on life or out of context

Question 7

What is trait anxiety?

Answer 7

Trait anxiety refers to the stable tendency to attend to, experience, and report negative emotions such as fears, worries, and anxiety across many situations

Question 8

Is it state anxiety or trait anxiety which in low levels is associated with higher rates of mortality before age of 25?

Answer 8

Trait anxiety

Question 9

Is trait anxiety a result of genetic factors or environmental factors?

Answer 9

Both

Question 10

What is meant by rumination?

Answer 10

Automatic negative thoughts about possible threats, bad things happening etc.

Question 11

What can rumination commonly lead to?

Answer 11

Lack of sleep

Question 12

Which type of anxiety are avoidance, cognitive bias, rumination and lack of sleep all causative factors and consequences of?

Answer 12

Trait anxiety

Question 13

Does trait anxiety contribute to state anxiety?

Answer 13

Yes

Question 14

What are the core symptoms of depression?

Answer 14

Low mood

Low energy

Anhedonia (loss of ability to feel pleasure)

Question 15

Give some examples of depressogenic stressors

Answer 15

Abuse

Loss

Bullying

Chronic illness

Question 16

What is depression a recuperative response from?

Answer 16

Prolonged stress

Question 17

What is low self worth directly a cause of and what can it lead to?

Answer 17

Depressogenic stressors

Low mood → depression

Question 18

What can depression be conceptualised as?

Answer 18

A self-perpetuating network of positive feedback loops arising from normally adaptive responses

Question 19

What might be some of the reasons for non-suicidal self injury?

Answer 19

In control of punishment - feel safe (temporary relief from anxiety)

Injury response - temporary release of opioids and cephalins

Question 20

What does self-harm typically occur in the context of?

Answer 20

Low self-worth

Persistent distress

Question 21

What are self-harm, substance use, disordered eating and compulsive rituals all an example of?

Answer 21

Distress-reducing behaviour

Question 22

Explain the negative reinforcement pattern with distress-reducing behaviour

Answer 22

This behaviour leads to temporary relief

This gives the urge to repeat the process to lead to more distress-reducing behaviour

Question 23

How can this negative reinforcement lead to compulsion?

Answer 23

The repetition of this distress-reducing behaviour leads to habit-formation

This leads to compulsion as the activity begins to become a sub-conscious activity