Anxiety Study Guide

Question 1

What is anxiety and its characteristics?

Answer 1

*future oriented mood state

characteristics
*somatic - sweating and shaking
*emotional - panicking
*behavioral - avoidance
* cognition - overestimation and negative self-image

Question 2

What are the symptoms of Social Anxiety and GAD

Answer 2

SAD - irrational fear of being criticized

GAD - exaggerated pathological worry

Question 3

What are the symptoms of Specific phobias, Agoraphobia, and Panic Disorder?

Answer 3

specific - irrational fear of object or situation

Agoraphobia - fear of leaving environment

Panic - reoccurrence of panic attacks involving fear

Question 4

What is the treatment for SAD?

Answer 4

antidepressants (SSRIs) and CBT - roleplay to build confidence

Question 5

What is the treatment for Specific phobias?

Answer 5

systematic desensitization, exposure therpay, VRT, modeling, medications - SSRIs and benzos

Question 6

What is the treatment for GAD?

Answer 6

Buspar, SSRIs + CBT - restructuring thoughts and relaxation

Question 7

What is the treatment for Panic Disorder?

Answer 7

SSRIs and CBT

Question 8

How common are the different anxiety disorders and which gender it affects more?

Answer 8

SAD - 12-14% and women

GAD - 6% and women

Specific- 12-13% and women

Panic - 5% and women

Question 9

What brain structures contribute to the development/experience of anxiety disorders?

Answer 9

hypersensitive amygdala + irregular activity in prefrontal cortex + abnormal regulation of neurotransmitters

Question 10

What factors/theories are accountable for development of all anxiety disorders?

Answer 10

psychodynamic - unconscious threats to ego

cognitive - over-evaluation, misinterpretation, and self-defeat

behavioral - classical conditioning + operant conditioning - negative reinforcement of avoidance

Question 11

Which anxiety disorders are the most treatable

Question 12

What is the relationship between anxiety disorders and genetics, suicide, cardiac death, and substance use

Answer 12

*Anxiety Disorders = higher risk for suicide + alcohol + depression + higher than avg cardiac death rate due to inability to cope

*Panic disorders, GAD, and phobias have higher than expected heritability risks

Question 13

What are the characteristics of a panic attack, when do they occur and what are the triggers

Answer 13

panic attack characteristics = sweating, breathing, extreme fear, losing control

triggers = overinterpretation and threats + low GABA –> surge of E and NE

Question 14

How many people who develop Panic Disorder also develop agoraphobia?

Answer 14

20% go on to also develop

Question 15

When does anxiety become a disorder?

Answer 15

loss of control + dysfunction

Question 16

What neurotransmitters contribute to anxiety?

Answer 16

*serotonin - mood, sleep, sex
*NE - arousal, attention, stress
*GABA - slows reuptake
*Glutamate - excitatory

Question 17

What are the explanations for social anxiety?

Answer 17

*cognitive - over evaluation + self-defeat

*learned behavior/conditioning

*genetic biological: hereditary + hypersensitive amygdala

Question 18

What are the explanations for specific phobias?

Answer 18

trauma, observed, negative reinforcements of fear maintaining, irrational thinking, psychodynamic - conflict placed on object/situation, higher ANS reactivity

Question 19

What are the explanations for GAD?

Answer 19

*over-reactivity of NE + irregularity in amygdala + pre-frontal cortex

*unconscious conflict + irrational thinking