Anxiety, Trauma And Stressor Related, And Obsessive Compulsive And Related Disorders

Question 1

What is anxiety?

Answer 1

Is a future oriented negative mood state characterised by bodily symptoms of physical tension and by apprehension about the future.

Question 2

What is fear?

Answer 2

Is an immediate alarm reaction to danger.
It is an immediate emotional reaction to current danger characterised by strong escapist action tendencies and often, a surge in the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.

Question 3

The word panic originates from?

Answer 3

From the Greek God Pan, who terrified travellers with bloodcurdling screams.

Question 4

In psychopathology, a panic attack is defined as?

Answer 4

An abrupt experience of intense fear or acute discomfort, accompanied by physical symptoms that usually include heart palpitations, chest pains, shortness of breath, and, possibly, dizziness.

Question 5

Unexpected panic attacks are mostly associated with what disorder?

Answer 5

Panic disorder.

Question 6

Expected panic attacks are more common in what types of disorders?

Answer 6

Specific phobias and social disorder.

Question 7

Increasing evidence shows that we inherit a tendency to be tense, uptight and anxious. Is there also the same tendency for panic?

Answer 7

The tendency for panic also seems to run in families and probably has a genetic component that differs somewhat from genetic contributions to anxiety.

Question 8

Anxiety is also associated with specific brain circuits and neurotransmitter systems. For example, depleted levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA), part of the GABA benzodiazepine system, are associated with…

Answer 8

Increased anxiety

Question 9

In regards to anxiety, increasing attention in the past several years is focusing on the role of the ……… system and the group of …… that increase the likelihood that this system will be turned on.

Answer 9

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system
Genes

Question 10

Why is the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system seen as central to the expression of anxiety?

Answer 10

The corticotropin-releasing factor system activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis which is part of the corticotropin-releasing factor system, and this CRF system has wide ranging effects on areas of the brain implicated in anxiety.

Question 11

The corticotropin-releasing factor system has wide ranging effects on areas of the brain implicated in anxiety which include?

Answer 11

The emotional brain (limbic system), and in particular the hippocampus and the amygdala;
The locus coeruleus in the brain stem;
The prefrontal cortex;
The dopaminergic neurotransmitter system

Question 12

The corticotropin-releasing factor system is also directly related to what 3 other systems?

Answer 12

GABA-benzodiazepine system
Serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmitter systems

Question 13

What is the main role of the limbic system in relation to anxiety?

Answer 13

Acts as a mediator between the brain stem and the cortex.

Question 14

What is the main role of the brain stem in relation to anxiety?

Answer 14

Monitors and senses changes in bodily functions and relays these potential danger signals to higher cortical processes through the limbic system.

Question 15

An important study indicated that the presence of any anxiety disorder was uniquely and significantly associated with?

Answer 15

Thyroid disease
Respiratory disease
Gastrointestinal disease
Arthritis
Migraine headaches
Allergic conditions

Question 16

What is characterised by muscle tension, mental agitation, susceptibility to fatigue, some irritability and difficulty sleeping?

Answer 16

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Question 17

What is a characteristic that distinguishes generalised anxiety disorder from other anxiety disorders?

Answer 17

People with GAD mostly worry about minor, everyday life events.

Question 18

When individuals with generalised anxiety disorder are compared with nonanxious participants, the one physiological measure that consistently distinguishes the anxious group is?

Answer 18

Muscle tension: people with GAD are chronically tense

Question 19

Evidence indicates that individuals with generalised anxiety disorder are highly sensitive to?

Answer 19

Threat in general, particularly to a threat that has personal relevance

Question 20

This high sensitivity to threat in individual’s with generalised anxiety disorder seems to be entirely automatic or unconscious. What evidence supports this?

Answer 20

The stroop colour-naming task
The colours of threatening words were named more slowly than with nonanxious individuals, even though the words were presented too quickly to be conscious of the words.

Question 21

Many people with generalised anxiety disorder also inherit a tendency to be tense (generalised biological vulnerability), and they develop a sense early on that important events in their lives may be uncontrollable and potentially dangerous (generalised psychological vulnerability), especially under stress. In addition, they use worry as a way to deal with this uncontrollability. Explain?

Answer 21

One way to avoid feeling disappointed is to adjust your expectations. If you expect the outcome to be worse than it probably will turn out to be, then you won’t be disappointed.

Question 22

True or False: Most studies show that in the majority of cases of generalised anxiety disorder, onset is earlier in adulthood as an immediate response to a life stressor?

Answer 22

False
It is more gradual

Question 23

True or False: Cognitive-behavioural treatment and other psychological treatments for GAD are probably better than drug therapy in the long run.

Answer 23

True

Question 24

People with panic disorder experience severe, unexpected panic attacks; they may think they’re dying or otherwise losing control. In many cases panic disorder is accompanied by a closely related disorder called?

Answer 24

Agoraphobia

Question 25

Describe agoraphobia

Answer 25

Fear and avoidance of situations in which a person feels unsafe or unable to escape to get home or to a hospital in the event of a developing panic, panic like symptoms, or other physical symptoms, such as loss of bladder control.

Question 26

A specific phobia is?

Answer 26

An irrational fear of a specific object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual’s ability to function.

Question 27

What phobia subtype does claustrophobia belong to?

Answer 27

Situational phobia

Question 28

What is the main difference between situational phobia and panic disorder?

Answer 28

People with situational phobia never experience panic attacks outside the context of their phobic object or situation.

Question 29

What are the four major subtypes of specific phobias? And what is the 1 other subtype?

Answer 29

1. Blood-injection-injury
2. Situational types
3. Natural environmental types
4. Animal types
5. Other (includes phobias that do not fit in any of the above 4)

Question 30

The DSM-5 now groups selective mutism with what group of disorders?

Answer 30

Anxiety

Question 31

The DSM-5 describes the setting event for PTSD as exposure to ….. ?

Answer 31

A traumatic event during which an individual experiences or witnesses death or threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violation.

Question 32

In regards to the DSM-5 description of PTSD, learning that the traumatic event occurred to a close family member or friend or enduring repeated exposure to details of a traumatic event (as in first responders) are also setting events, true or false?

Answer 32

True

Question 33

What factors have been shown to contribute to who and who doesn’t develops PTSD in the wake of exposure to traumatic experiences?

Answer 33

• social support
• positive coping strategies involving active problem solving
• becoming angry and placing blame on others is associated with higher levels of PTSD

Question 34

Panic attack is an adaptive fear response occurring at an inappropriate time. Panic attack is similar in both panic disorder and PTSD except that?

Answer 34

• In panic disorder the alarm is false.
• In PTSD the initial alarm is true in that real danger is true.

Question 35

Match the correct preliminary diagnosis with the below case; (a) postttaumatic stress disorder, (b) acute stress disorder, (c) delayed onset posttraumatic stress disorder.

Cadence witnessed a horrific tornado level her farm 3 weeks ago. Since then , she’s had many flashbacks of the incident, trouble sleeping, and a fear of going outside in storms.

Answer 35

Acute stress disorder

(Needs to be more ongoing for over 1 month to be classified as PTSD)

Question 36

Match the correct preliminary diagnosis with the below case; (a) postttaumatic stress disorder, (b) acute stress disorder, (c) delayed onset posttraumatic stress disorder.

Sanjay was involved in a car accident 6 weeks ago in which the driver of the car was killed. Since then, Sanjay has been unable to get into a car because it brings back the horrible scene he witnessed. Nightmares haunt him and interfere with his sleep. He is irritable and has lost interest in work and hobbies.

Answer 36

PTSD

Question 37

Match the correct preliminary diagnosis with the below case; (a) postttaumatic stress disorder, (b) acute stress disorder, (c) delayed onset posttraumatic stress disorder.

Patricia was raped at the age of 17, 30 years ago. Just recently, she has been having flashbacks of the event, difficulty sleeping, and fear of sexual contact with her husband.

Answer 37

Delayed onset PTSD

Question 38

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Obsessions are?

Answer 38

Intrusive and mostly nonsensical thoughts, images, or urges that the individual tries to resist or eliminate.

Question 39

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Compulsions are?

Answer 39

The thoughts or actions used to suppress the obsessions and provide relief.

Question 40

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
Based on statistically associated factors, there are four major types of obsessions, and each is associated with a pattern of compulsive behaviour. The major types of obsessions are?

Answer 40

1. Symmetry obsessions
2. Forbidden thoughts or actions.
3. Cleaning and contamination
4. Hoarding

Question 41

True or false; Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is prevalent in older adults and females in our society?

Answer 41

True

Question 42

Name this treatment p 143:
Concentrated on exposing patients with panic disorder to the cluster of interoceptive (physical) sensations that remind them of panic attacks. For examples, exercise to elevate heart rates, spinning in a chair etc.

Answer 42

Panic control treatment (PCT)