Chapter 6: Anxiety Disorders Flashcards
anxiety
a sense of agitation or nervousness, which is often focused on an upcoming possible danger
anxiety disorder
a category of psychological disorders in which the primary symptoms involve fear, extreme anxiety, intense arousal, and/or extreme attempts to avoid stimuli that lead to fear and anxiety
fight-or-flight response
the automatic neurological and bodily response to a perceive threat; also called the stress response
panic
an extreme sense (or fear) of imminent doom, together with an extreme stress response
phobia
an exaggerated fear of an object or a situation, together with an extreme avoidance of the object or situation
generalized anxiety disorder
an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable worry and anxiety about a number of events or activities, which are not solely the result of another disorder
hyperviligance
a heightened search for threats
biofeedback
a technique in which a person is trained to bring normally involuntary or unconscious bodily activity, such as heart rate or muscle tension, under voluntary control
habituation
the process by which the emotional response to a stimulus that elicits fear or anxiety is reduced by exposing the patient to the stimulus repeatedly
exposure
a behavioral technique that involved repeated contact with a feared or arousing stimulus in a controlled setting, bringing about habituation
in vivo exposure
a behavioral therapy method that consists of direct exposure to a feared or avoided situation or stimulus
psychoeducation
the process of education patients about research findings and therapy procedures relevant to their situation
panic attack
a specific period of intense fear or discomfort accompanied by physical symptoms, such as pounding heart, shortness of breath, shakiness, and sweating, or cognitive symptoms, such as a fear of loosing control
panic disorder
an anxiety disorder characterized by frequent, unexpected panic attacks, along with fear of further attacks and possible restrictions of behavior in order to prevent such attacks
agoraphobia
an anxiety disorder characterized by persistent avoidance of situations that might trigger panic symptoms or from which help would be difficult to obtain
concordance rate
the probability that both twins will have a characteristic or disorder, given that one of them has it
introspective exposure
a behavioral therapy method in which patients intentionally elicit the bodily sensations associated with panic so that they can habituate to those sensations and not respond with fear
social anxiety disorder
an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear of public humiliation or embarrassment; also called social phobia
specific phobia
an anxiety disorder characterized by excessive or unreasonable anxiety about or fear related to a specific situation or object
separation anxiety disorder
a disorder that typically arises in childhood and is characterized by excessive anxiety about separation from home or from someone to whom the person is strongly attached
