Exam 2: Anxiety Flashcards
Anxiety (definition)
A sense of psychological distress
Is transient anxiety normal?
Yes, a normal response to job interviews, tests, walking into unfamiliar places, and other scenarios
Feeling anxious, frightened, uneasy, or worried are all normal responses to life experiences that are perceived as disruptive, threatening or dangerous
Anxiety provides what?
The motivation for achievement, a necessary force for survival
Are anxiety and stress the same thing?
No, they are commonly interchangeably used but they are not the same
Stress is not a disorder - it is a normal part of life with no good or bad connotations.
Often what causes anxiety is stress
Stress is more transient but anxiety will persistently persist even without a stressor
What does it mean when stress is described as individualized?
It is unique to each person and what one may perceive as stressful may not be perceived that way by others
Anxiety can present differently among people as well
Frequently stressors are cited as causes of anxiety, when the mind interprets events as threatening, the body…
Responds with the signs and symptoms of anxiety
Physiologic Response: Fight or Flight Changes
HR and BP Increase
Blood flow to muscles increase
RR increases
Perspiration and Blood Clotting Increases
Saliva Production, digestion, immune responses all decrease
energy producing stored glycogen is released
Anxiety as a ____
Continuum
What does it mean that anxiety acts as a continuum
It affect cognition, psychological, and physical functioning all while being rated as MILD, MODERATE, or SEVERE
Mild anxiety results in…
Improved functioning with heightened awareness
As anxiety increases beyond mild…
It interferes with all aspects of functioning
Cognitive functioning becomes distorted and the body must endure extended periods of high physical alertness
Anxiety Disorder
Group of conditions in which the affected person experiences persistent anxiety that cannot be dismissed
Coping mechanisms are ineffective
Anxiety interferes with ADLs
Persons with Anxiety feel…
The core of their personalities are threatened when there is no actual danger
How are anxiety and fear different?
Anxiety is an emotional process and fear is a cognitive one
Anxiety effects what 3 main things
Sensation
Cognition
Verbal Ability
Effects of Mild Anxiety
Heightens sensation, sight, hearing, able to learn and verbalize rationally
Effects of Moderate Anxiety
Begins to dull perceptions
Can attend to greater sensory input if directed
Effects of Severe Anxiety
Perceptions become increasingly distorted, become scattered, and disorganized
Effects of Panic (What comes after severe anxiety)
Perception grossly distorted
Cannot differentiate real from imaginary stimuli
When does anxiety require intervention?
When it is of greater than expected intensity based on context
When it prevents fulfillment of professional, personal, or social roles
When it is accompanied by flashbacks, obsessions, or compulsions
When you are unable to attend to daily and social activities
When it lasts longer than expected given the precipitating stress/events
What is the most common of all psychiatric illnesses?
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders are more common in what groups?
- Women > Men
- Minority children and children from low SES environments at risk
- Those with familial predispositions
Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Mechanisms for Anxiety
Withdrawal or retreating from the anxiety provoking situations
Acting out - discharging anxiety through aggression
Psychsomatization
Avoidance - evasive behaviors
Problem solving systematic method for addressing difficult situations