Lecture 3: Anxiety, OCD, and Related Orders Flashcards

1
Q

fear

A

emotional and physiological response to a perceived threat to your well-being

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

anxiety

A

emotional and physiological response to a vague sense of threat or danger

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

A

excessive feelings of anxeity and worry about numerous events and activities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

checklist for generalized anxiety disorder

A
  • for 6 months or more, the person experiences disproportionate ongoing anxiety and worry about multiple matters
  • the symptoms include at least three of the following: edginess, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep problems
  • significant distress or impairment
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

sociocultural perspective on GAD

A

disorder occurs because of dangerous ongoing social conditions (e.g. poverty, race, ethnicity)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

psychodynamic perspective on GAD

A
  • Freud: all children experience anxiety and use their ego defense mechanisms to cope with it; however, some children experience high anxiety levels or their defense mechanisms are inadequate, and they may develop a generalized anxiety disorder
  • realistic anxiety when facing actual danger
  • neurotic anxiety when prevented from expressing id impulses
  • moral anxiety when punished for expressing id impulses
  • short-term psychodynamic therapy is very effective
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

humanistic perspective on GAD

A

arises through denial of someone’s true thoughts and emotions
- Rogers: people without unconditional positive regard from caretakers develop conditions of worth (overly critical self-views), which set the stage for GAD
- client-centered therapy has little research support

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

cognitive-behavioral perspective on GAD

A

caused by problematic behaviors and dysfunctional thinking
- old explanations: basic irrational assumption (Ellis), and silent assumptions (Beck)
- new explanations: metacognitive theory, intolerance of uncertainty theory, avoidance theory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

basic irrational assumptions (Ellis)

A

irrational beliefs that make people act in unsuitable ways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

silent assumptions (Beck)

A

e.g. “it is always best to assume the worst”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

metacognitive theory

A

people with GAD implicitly hold both positive and negative beliefs about worrying
- they see worrying as useful way to deal with threats
- but society tells them that worrying is a bad thing
- develop beliefs that worrying is harmful and they start worrying about worrying (meta-worrying)
- net effect is GAD

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

intolerance of uncertainty theory

A

people with GAD are unable to tolerate the possibility (however small) that negative things may occur

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

avoidance theory

A

people with GAD have a greater bodily arousal (higher heart rate, perspiration, respiration)
- worrying reduces this arousal by distracting them from their unpleasant physical feelings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

cognitive-behavioral therapies for GAD

A
  • rational-emotive therapy: changing maladaptive assumptions
  • mindfulness-based, acceptance and commitment therapy: breaking down worrying, clients are helped to become aware of their streams of thoughts and to accept them rather than try to eliminate them
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

biological perspective on GAD

A

explains the disorder through biological factors
- fear reactions are tied to brain circuits
- GAD is caused by a hyperactive fear circuit, in which the neurotransmitter GABA plays an important role
- Benzodiazepines reduce anxiety by binding to receptors for GABA (GABA has an inhibiting function and benzodiazepines mimic this function)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

biologogical perspective treatment for GAD

A
  • drug therapy
  • relaxation training
  • biofeedback
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

drug therapy

A
  • barbiturates (sedative-hypnotic drugs): drugs that calm people down and help them fall asleep
  • benozodiazepines
  • antidepressants and antipsychotics
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

relaxation training

A

teaches people to relax when they want to, so that they can calm themselves in times of stress

19
Q

biofeedback

A

a technique in which a person receives feedback on physiological responses, such as the level of muscle tension, by means of an EMG (electromyograph)
- in this way, reactions are learned to be controlled voluntarily

20
Q

phobia

A

more intense and persistent fear, desire to avoid feared object/situation and create distress that interferes with functioning

21
Q

agoraphobia

A

fear of public places or other situations where there are few possibilities for escaping or receiving help
- symptoms last for at least 6 months
- significant distress or impairment, often fluctuates

22
Q

specific phobias

A

severe and persistent fear of a specific object or situation, usually lasting at least 6 months
- exposure to the object produces immediate fear
- avoidance of the feared situation
- significant distress or impairment

23
Q

cognitive-behavioral perspective on phobias

A

phobia is a result of conditioning (learned behavior)
- phobia can also develop through modeling (observing and imitating others that have a phobia)

24
Q

behavioral-evolutionary perspective on phobias

A

helpful for ancestors to develop fears of stimuli that are dangerous because it makes them avoid those stimuli
- preparedness: predisposition to fear certain stimuli (why some phobias are more common than others)

25
Q

treatment for specific phobias

A

exposure treatment

26
Q

exposure treatment

A

focuses on exposing people to things they are afraid of, consisting of 3 types
- systematic desensitization
- flooding: repeated exposure to fear-inducing stimulus in order to show the person that they are afraid of something that is harmless
- modeling

27
Q

treatment for agoraphobia

A

focuses on gradual repeated exposure to outside places paired with additional help

28
Q

social anxiety disorder

A

severe, persistent, and irrational fear of social or performance situations in which they may face scrutiny by others and possibly feel embarrassment

29
Q

social anxiety disorder checklist

A
  • pronounced, disproportionate, and repeated anxiety about the social situation(s) in which the individual could be exposed to scrutiny by others; typically for 6 months or more
  • fear of being negatively evaluated by or offensive to others
  • exposure to the social situation almost always produces anxiety
  • avoidance of feared situations
  • significant distress or impairment
30
Q

cognitive-behavioral perspective on social anxiety disorder

A

people hold a cluster of unrealistic beliefs and expectations regarding social interactions (e.g. they believe they are socially inadequate and anticipate terrible consequences if they don’t perform perfectly in social settings)
- thus they avoid social interactions to reduce or prevent social disasters

31
Q

treatments for social anxiety disorder

A
  • reducing social fears: medication (benzodiazepine or antidepressants), cognitive-behavioral therapies: systematic discussions in which maladaptive beliefs are reexamined, exposure therapy
  • training social skills: the therapist models appropriate social behaviors and clients role-play and rehearse them
32
Q

panic disorder

A

characterized by recurrent panic attacks (= sudden occurping episodes of panic in which certain symptoms occur, e.g. heart palpitations, shortness of breath, hot and cold flashes)

33
Q

panic disorder checklist

A
  • unforseen panic attacks occur repeatedly
  • one or more of the attacks precede either of the following symptoms: at least a month of continual concern about having additional attacks, or at least a month of dysfunctional behavior changes associated with the attacks
34
Q

biological perspective on panic disorder

A
  • initial theory: caused by abnormal norepinephrine activity in locus coeruleus
  • recent theory: brain circuits and the amygdala are the root of the problem, an inherited predisposition
  • treatment: drug therapies
35
Q

cognitive-behavioral perspective on panic disorder

A

bodily sensations are misinterpreted as signs of medical catastrophe and controlled by avoidance and safety behaviors
- anxiety sensitivity may exist (=tendency to focus on biological sensations and interpret them as harmful)
- treatment: cognitive therapy – correct misinterpretations of bodily sensations

36
Q

biological challenge test

A

procedure used to produce panic and assess panic disorder

37
Q

obsession

A

persistent thoughts, ideas, or impulses that invade someone’s consciousness
- these thoughts feel both intrusive and foreign and attempting to ignore them causes anxiety

38
Q

compulsion

A

behavior or mental act that someone thinks they must perform repetitively to prevent or reduce anxiety
- most people recognize that their behaviors are unreasonable

39
Q

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

A

unreasonable or excessive obsessions or compulsions that interfere with daily functioning
- obsessions cause anxiety, the compulsions aim to prevent or reduce it

40
Q

OCD checklist

A
  • occurence of repeated obsessions, compulsions, or both
  • take up considerable time and cause significant distress or impairment
41
Q

psychodynamic perspective on OCD

A

obsession is the result of impulses of the id and compulsion is the result of a defensive act from the ego
- treatment: free association and therapist interpretation techniques to overcome conflicts

42
Q

cognitive-behavioral perspective on OCD

A

disorder grows from human tendencies to have unwanted thoughts and to avoid negative outcomes, individuals attempt to neutralize thoughts with behaviors or with other thoughts
- treatment: cognitive-behavioral therapy focused on changing cognitive processes + exposure and response prevention in which clients are repeatedly exposed to objects or situations that produce obsessions and compulsions and are instructed to resist performing the compulsive behaviors

43
Q

biological perspective on OCD

A

links disorder to 2 main causes:
- abnormal serotonin activity – low activity
- abnormal brain structure and functioning – orbitofrontal cortex and caudate nuclei overactivation
- treatment: drug therapies to raise serotonin levels

44
Q

OCD related disorders

A
  • hoarding disorder: the need to save items and not wanting to get rid of them
  • trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder): repeatedly pulling out your own hair
  • excoriation (skin-picking disorder): repeatedly picking your own skin, which results in wounds
  • body dysmorphic disorder: obsessively believeing that you have a flaw in your physical appearance