chapter 13 Flashcards
stress
state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors that are perceived by the individual as challenging or exceeding their ability or resources to cope
anxiety
state of physiological arousal associated with feelings of apprehension, unease or worry that something is wrong is something unpleasant is about to happen
anxiety disorder
to describe a group of disorders that are characterised by chronic feelings of anxiety, distress, nervousness
phobia
excessive or unreasonable fear directed towards a particular object, situation or event that causes significant distress or interferes with everyday functioning.
3 categories of phobias
- agotaphobia (public/unfamilar places)
- social phobia
- specifc phobia
specific phobia
disorder characterised by significant anxiety provoked by exposure to a specific fear object or situation, often resulting in avoidance behaviour.
phobic stimulus
The ‘object or situation’ they are afraid
5 categories of specific phobias
- animals
- situations (lifts, flying)
- blood, injections and/or injury
- natural environments (thunder, the dark, water
- Other phobias – anything not falling into another category (choking, vomiting, loud noises, costumed characters, dying)
stress response
Exposure to the phobic stimulus triggers an involuntary anxiety response is fight/flight physio changes).
panic attack
(unexpected onset of intense anxiety that can last a few mins tight chest, short breath
anticipatory anxiety
is the gradual rise in anxiety level as a person thinks about, or ‘anticipates’, being exposed to a phobic stimulus in the future.
biological factors
- GABA neurotransmitter dysfunction
- role of stress response
- LTP
GABA
main inhibitor.
the brain to make postsynaptic (‘receiving’) neurons less likely to be activated (i.e. it inhibits excitation or ‘firing’). psychologists have proposed that individuals with a low level of GABA are more vulnerable to anxiety.
stress response
Response to stressor + fight/flight/freeze response= panic attack
LTP
neurologically strengthen the association between a phobic stimulus and a fear or anxiety response through its activity at the synapse.
psychological factors
- behavioural models
- cognitive models
behavioural models
classical/ operant conditioning
phobias are learned through experience and may be acquired, maintained or modified by environmental consequences such as rewards and punishment.
CC loud noise and shark = fear of shark
OC spider+fear and avoidance = phobia of spiders
cognitive model
focuses on how people process information and how people think about the phobic stimulus and related events.
two cognitive biases
memory bias - recall or recognition is better for negative or threatening information than for positive or neutral information
catastrophic thinking- a type of negative thinking in which an object or event is perceived as being far more threatening, dangerous or insufferable than it really is and will result in the worst outcome
social factors
- specific environmental trigger
- stigma around seeking treatment
specific environmental trigger
include ‘specific’ objects or situations in the ‘environment’ produce or ‘trigger’ an extreme fear response at the time
stigma around seeking treatment
the nature of specific phobia and its symptoms mean that individuals with a phobia are particularly vulnerable to experiencing stigma, which in turn affects their willingness to tell family and friends, let alone to seek treatment from a professional.
biological interventions for treatment
- use of benzodiazepine
- Breathing retraining (relaxation)
- exercise (relaxation)
use of benzodiazepine
group of drugs acting selectively on GABA receptors to increase GABA’s inhibitory effects and make post- synaptic neurons resistant to excitation.
have both anti-anxiety and sleep- inducing properties.
reducing physiological arousal and promoting relaxation.
Breathing retraining (relaxation)
anxiety management technique that involves teaching correct breathing habits to people with a specific phobia.
correct abnormal breathing patterns when anticipating or exposed to a phobic stimulus.
exercise (relaxation)
Produces positive chemicals endorphins
• Uses negative chemicals produced in a stress response adrenalin
psychological interventions for treatment
- CBT
- systematic desensitisation
-CBT
Uses a combination of verbal and behaviour modification techniques to help people change irrational patterns of thinking that create a phobia.
change negative thoughts and behaviours and replaces them with more positive, realistic ones.
-systematic desensitisation
A graded experience where a sufferer is gradually exposed to phobic stimulus while using relaxation techniques. Otherwise known as graduated exposure therapy
• Utilises classical conditioning principles
social interventions for treatment
psychoeducation for families/supporters
psychoeducation for families/supporters
Challenging unrealistic thoughts (i.e. irrational fear)
• Discouraging avoidance behaviours which can act as a negative
reinforcer and strengthen the phobic behaviour
