Lecture 13: Anxiety Disorders & Stress Disorders Flashcards
What is fear?
Emotional reaction to a REAL and EXTERNAL threat.
What is anxiety?
Nervousness/dread associated with an ANTICIPATED event or vague/unknown stimulus.
What is the simplified version of fear vs anxiety?
Fear is a stress response to immediate danger.
Anxiety is a stress response to your thoughts.
When is anxiety pathologic?
Present WITHOUT an obvious or reasonable cause.
EXCESSIVE to actual threat.
CAUSES DISTRESS or FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT or REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE
What falls under maladaptive cognition?
Judgement biases
Attentive biases
Avoidant behaviors
Low self-confidence in problem solving skills.
What falls under judgement bias?
Interpreting ambiguous events in a threatening manner.
Overestimating the likelihood of a NEGATIVE event.
What falls under attentive biases?
Overreacting to threats.
What falls under avoidant behaviors?
Excessive prep.
Checking behaviors
Procrastination
How does CBT restructure our cognitive thinking?
Identifies negative thoughts
Challenges those negative thoughts
Replaces those negative thoughts with real thoughts.
What are some ways to manage stress that we cannot avoid/modify?
Time management
Relaxation techniques
Social support
What are the 3 types of exposure therapy?
Desensitization
Modeling
Flooding
What is desensitization?
Exposing patients to the stimuli in SMALL DOSES.
Pts are often taught relaxation techniques to reduce their response to the stimuli.
What is modeling?
Patient observes another individual around the stimuli.
Individual should react relaxed around the stimuli.
What is flooding?
Exposing the patient to the stimuli that causes them the WORST ANXIETY and forcing them to use relaxation techniques to get through it.
It is much quicker than desensitization BUT can have spontaneous relapses.
It’s like jumping into a pool, whereas desensitization is like dipping your feet one by one.
What are the short-term/PRN meds for anxiety disorders?
BENZOS
Hydroxyzine
What are the long-term meds for anxiety disorders?
FIRST-LINE: SSRI, SNRI
Second-line: Buspirone, TCAs, Benzos, antipsychotics.
What is the MOA of a benzo?
Enhance the effect of GABA at the GABA receptor.
What does GABA do?
Inhibitory NT. Benzos amplify GABA effect.
What do Benzos do?
Sedate
Hypnotic
ANXIOLYTIC
Anticonvulsant
Muscle relaxant
What can Benzos cause in high doses?
Amnesia
Dissociation
When do we use benzos?
Anxiety
Panic
Insomnia
ETOH withdrawal
Agitation
Seizures
Procedural sedation
What are the main SE of benzos?
Drowsiness
Dizziness
What are the rare SE of benzos?
Respiratory depression
Paradoxical effects
What is the biggest risk in benzos?
DEPENDENCE
WITHDRAWAL
What does a shorter half-life benzo increase the risk of?
Withdrawal S/S
What are the main DDI of Benzos?
ETOH
Opioids
Antifungals (increase serum concentration)
All of these have similar effects to benzos
What are the CIs of benzos?
Pregnancy
Allergy
Myasthenia Gravis
Narrow-angle glaucoma
Which chronic medical conditions are at higher risk for respiratory depression if given a benzo?
COPD
Sleep Apnea
Myasthenia Gravis
What is the fastest acting benzo?
Versed.
Used for procedural sedation.
What is the highest abuse potential benzo?
Xanax/Alprazolam
What benzo is known for causing rebound anxiety? Why?
Xanax/Alprazolam.
It has a fast onset.
What is the main intermediate-acting benzo for insomnia?
Temazepam/Restoril
What is the longest acting benzo?
Flurazepam/Dalmane
What benzo is known for working quickly and having a long duration?
Diazepam/Valium
What kind of patients should we avoid benzo use in?
Substance abuse hx
What should we caution patients on with benzo use?
Potential of dependency, tolerance, and addiction.
How do we taper down benzos?
10-25% every 1-2 weeks.
Slower taper if s/s of withdrawal.
What are the s/s of benzo withdrawal?
Anxiety
Dysphoria
Tremor
Seizures
What is the MOA of hydroxyzine/Vistaril/Atarax?
Histamine (H1) receptor antagonist.
What kind of patient would we give hydroxyzine?
Patients that have insomnia due to anxiety. (1st gen antihistamines make u drowsy. think benadryl)
Patients that we need a short-acting agent in but have high abuse potential.
What is the main SE of hydroxyzine?
Drowsiness
What are the DDIs of hydroxyzine?
POTASSIUM
MAOIs
CNS depressants
What are the CIs of hydroxyzine?
Allergy
1st trimester of pregnancy
Any route of admin that is not oral?
What is the MOA of Buspirone/buspar?
5HT-1a receptor agonist.
Also works on dopamine receptors
What is buspirone most effective for?
Cognitive anxiety s/s rather than somatic.
What kind of pts do we use buspirone for?
Addon for SSRIs/SNRIs.
Pregnant patients
Benzo-naive patients. (It has less anxiolytic effects than a benzo)
What is the main perk of using buspirone?
No abuse/dependence potential.
No withdrawal.
How often can we titrate up buspirone and by how much?
2.5mg every 3 days.
What is the main SE of buspirone and the main concern?
Dizziness
Serotonin syndrome
What are the DDIs of buspirone?
Other psych meds
CNS depressants
What is the CI of buspirone?
Allergy
*SAFE TO USE IN PREGNANCY
What are the 6 anxiety disorders?
Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Acute stress disorder
PTSD
OCD
Phobic disorders
What is the MC demographic for generalized anxiety disorder? (GAD)
35+ Women with genetic predisposition or childhood trauma.
How prevalent is GAD?
3% gen pop
8% primary care pts
Lifetime: 12%
What are some common comorbidities for GAD?
MDD
Substance abuse
Other anxiety disorders
Chronic, unexplained pain
What counts as excessive anxiety and worry for GAD according to the DSM V?
About multiple things
Present for 6 months
Difficult to control it