CBT and Panic Disorder Flashcards
What is panic?
- sensations include dizziness, shakiness etc
- increased HR, increased breathing / respiratory rate
The way you interpret the situation - dependent on whether you are feeling anxiety, going to have a panic cycle etc
Common Catastrophic misinterpretations
Dizziness = Faint Shakiness = Collapse Racing Heart = Heart Attack Tight Chest = Heart Attack Breathless = Suffocate Racing Thoughts = going 'crazy', losing control
Misinterpretation of common body functions!
Cognitive Model of Panic
- Clark (1988)
- Panic attacks - result from the catastrophic misinterpretation of certain bodily misinterpretations
- sensations - ones involved in normal anxiety responses
- perceive those sensations as much more dangerous than they really are
- feel as if those sensations are indicative of an immediately impending physical or mental disaster
- e.g. breathlessness = impending cessation of breathing and consequent death
Panic Cycle - Clark (1986; 1988)
Trigger stimulis (internal or external)
Perceived threat
Apprehension
Body sensations
Interpretation of sensations as catastrophic
- the way in which we interpret the trigger stimulus
- perceived threat - leads to a cycle
- the misinterpretation of body sensations/functions feeds the cycle of panic
Teachmen et al (2010)
Catastrophic misinterpretations as a predictor of symptom change during treatment for panic disorder
- change the misinterpretations = symptom reduction?
- measuring catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations
- presented with ambiguous events and then asked to rate 3 alternative explanations for why the event may have occurred
- one was always negative, the other two being neutral and/or positive
- change in misinterpretations predicted subsequent reductions in overall symptom severity, panic attack frequency, distress and avoidance
What are the types of panic?
(1) Preceded by anxiety
(2) “Out of the blue”
Types of panic - Preceded by anxiety
Threat related trigger (anticipation of attack or anxiety regarding unrelated events) —->
Breathlessness, HR increase, Dizziness —->
Misinterpret sensations —->
PANIC
Types of Panic - “Out of the blue”
Innocuous event trigger (exercise, excitement, caffeine, standing up, sleep) —–>
Breathlessness, HR increase, Dizziness, Bodily changes during sleep —–>
Misinterpret sensations ——>
PANIC
“Safety-Seeking” and Panic
P’s have often experienced hundreds of thousands of panic attacks
- feared catastrophe does not / has not ever occurred
- BUT they continue to believe that catastrophe is imminent in subsequent panic disorder
—> seen through it so many times without the catastrophic event happening so WHY is there is this constant fear?
Panic - how do individuals maintain their panic?
- think that things will happen but it never does - constant threat is still there!
- go through the cycle so many time but never break out of it
Safety Seeking Behaviours
- avoidance of catastrophic events is based on their own actions
- failure to gain the experience necessary to realise that anxiety sensations will not lead to catastrophe
- need to change this!
- breaking the cycle by educating the P!
Safety seeking behaviours?
Panic = an anxiety disorder
- safety seeking behaviours - positive or negative
- key for psychological intervention
- have to try and disentangle all these behaviours
- get the P is understand what is really going on
- educate them about anxiety sensations
- identify these behaviours
- KEY - identifying the first time the P had a panic attack
- show them how they interpreted it the first time round
- remove the avoidance and escape SS behaviours
- have to demonstrate the catastrophic nature of sensations
Panic Attack - DSM-IV Definiton
- Abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort
- Abrupt surge can occur from a calm or anxious state
- Reaches peak within minutes
- During which time, 4 of the following occur:
Panic Attack - DSM-IV Definiton
- symptoms to allow for classification
- palpitations, pounding / accelerated heart rate
- sweating
- sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
- trembling or shaking
- feeling dizzy, unsteady, lighthearted or faint
- feeling of choking
- chest pain or discomfort
- nausea or abdominal distress
- parethesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
- chills or heat sensations
- fear of losing control or going crazy
- fear of dying
- de-realisation (feelings or unreality) or depersonalisation (being detached from oneself)
DSM-V - Panic Disorder
(A) Recurrent unexpected Panic Attacks
(B) At least one of the attacks has been followed by 1 month (or more) of one of the following:
- persistent concern or worry about additional panic attacks of their consequences
- significant maladaptive change in behaviour related to the attacks
(C) Attacks are not restricted to the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition
(D) The panic attacks are not restricted to the symptoms of another mental disorder
Prevalence
- consistently high 12-month prevalence rates for panic disorder of about 2-3%
- lifetime prevalence - 3-7% for PD
> around 2.6% of the population are estimated to suffer from panic attacks / PD at sometime in our lives