Generalised Anxiety Disorder Flashcards
What is generalised anxiety disorder?
Mental health condition that causes excessive and disproportional anxiety and worry
Negatively impacts the person’s everyday activities
To be diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder how often should a patient experience symptoms?
Occurring most days for at least 6 months
Not caused by substance use or another condition
What is panic disorder?
Involves recurrent panic attacks
The attacks are unexpected and result in worry about further attacks and maladaptive behaviour changes relating to the attacks (avoiding activities)
What are some secondary causes of anxiety?
Substance use
Substance withdrawal
Hyperthyroidism
Phaeochromocytoma
Cushing’s disease
What are the emotional and cognitive symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder?
Excessive worrying
Unable to control the worrying
Restlessness
Difficulty relaxing
Easily tired
Difficulty concentrating
What are the physical symptoms of GAD?
Muscle tension
Palpitations
Sweating
Tremor
GI symptoms
Headaches
Sleep disturbance
What are panic attacks?
Sudden onset of intense physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety
What are the physical and emotional symptoms of panic attacks?
Physical
Tension
Palpitations
Tremors
Sweating
Dry mouth
Chest pain
SOB
Dizziness
Nausea
Emotional
Panic
Fear
Danger
Loss of control
Depersonalisation (feeling separated or detached)
What are some examples of common phobias?
Claustrophobia
Acrophobia (fear of heights)
Arachnophobia
Glossophobia (fear of public speaking)
Trypanophobia (fear of needles)
What is agoraphobia?
Fear or situations in which they may be unable to escape if something goes wrong
e.g. fear of busy places, public transport or anywhere outside their home
What is social phobia?
Fear of social situations
What is used to assess generalised anxiety disorder?
Generalised anxiety disorder questionnaire 7 (GAD-7)
7 questions
5-9 - mild anxiety
10-14 - moderate anxiety
15-21 - severe anxiety
How is mild anxiety managed?
Active monitoring and advice about self-help strategies
Sleep
Diet
Avoiding alcohol
Caffeine
Drugs
How is moderate to severe anxiety managed?
May require more intervention
- CBT
- SSRIs (sertraline) first-line medications for GAD and panic disorder
- SNRIs (venlafaxine)
- Pregabalin
What can be given to manage physical symptoms of anxiety?
Propranolol
Contraindicated in asthma, because propranolol is the least specific beta blocker so it can cause bronchoconstriction
