Lecture 4 Anxiety Flashcards
what is anxiety often labelled as?
fear/ panic
what do you perceive to experience anxiety?
threat
what are the 3 interrelated anxiety systems?
physical, cognitive, behavioral
the physical system is also known as?
fight or flight
how does the physical system deal with anxiety?
mobilises resources
what are the symptoms of the physical system?
sweating, heart rate, tremble
what happens with the cognitive system?
attentional shift- hyper vigilance to source of threat
what is the effect of the cognitive system on the whole system?
can’t focus on anything but threat
what happens with the behavioral system?
avoidance/ escape or aggression
why are normal anxiety responses set up?
to keep you alive
list the Eliciting conditions of normal anxiety
realistic threat to self- physical
prepared stimuli- snakes or insects
novel- don’t know what to expect
what does threat appraisal mean?
an assessment of environment: generates expectancy of harm
perceived probability means:
how likely it is that these things will happen
perceived cost means:
how bad is it if these things happen?
how does anxiety develop through observational learning?
watching someone else ( be in accident for example)
how does anxiety develop through instruction?
being told not to do something because to will have a consequence
is abnormal anxiety actually qualitatively different from normal anxiety?
no, it has the same aspects- cog, phys, behavioural. one continuum
what distinguishes abnormal anxiety?
excessive or inappropriate occurence, overestimation of threat, cost or probability of harm
what do people with physical fears typically overestimate?
the probability- more likely
what do people with social fears overestimate?
cost- embarrassment is worse than death
anxiety is meant to keep you alive, so people with anxiety disorders have an..
internal dysfunction- perceive a threat that isn’t there
why are anxiety disorders harmful?
because they interfere with daily life and social activities
what causes anxiety disorders to remain and get worse?
avoidance- must address and expose to get better
list the 8 DSM 4 anxiety disorders
separation anxiety (childhood onset) specific phobia social phobia generalized anxiety disorder OCD panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia) PTSD acute stress disorder
List the 5 anxiety disorders added to DSM 5
selective mutism separation anxiety- child OR adult adjustment disorder reactive attachment disorder disinhibited social engagement disorder
what are people who suffer with social anxiety afraid of?
social situations and being exposed to possible scrutiny
what are some more specific things that people who suffer with social anxiety are afraid of?
- new social interactions, performing, being observed.
- showing anxiety
what provokes social anxiety?
normal social situations
at least how long does social anxiety persist?
6 months
why does social anxiety pose threat?
significant distress and impairment in social functioning- can’t interfere with co workers etc.
social anxiety is not better explained by other disorders because..
focus of threat/ fear is very unique
Epidemiology of Social Anxiety
12 month prevalence rate in adults
-7% USA and 8% Australia
-lower rates in Asia and Europe
-prevalence is 1.5- 2.2 higher in women in general pop.
-gender rates equal in clinics- men seek more treatment
Age of onset- childhood/ adolescence
Chronic without treatment
Comorbidity: other anxiety disorders. Depression, substance abuse, avoidant personality disorder
what is the assumption of people who suffer from cognitive model of social phobia ?
excessively high standards- things should go perfectly
what are the conditional beliefs about consequences of social anxiety?
if i don’t do this, then i’ll get humiliated and they will think I’m stupid
what are the unconditional beliefs of social phobia about the self?
i’m stupid and they’ll see this. thinking about this causes anxiety
where does your attention shift if you have social anxiety?
to the source of anxiety: your self
what are the safety behaviors of social anxiety?
don’t look at people, speak soft, etc. divert attention away- they come across as rude
what effects does the safety behaviors of social anxiety have?
increases:
self focused attention
increases anxiety symptoms
interfere with social performance- come across as antisocial
evaluation> confirm fears
what does pre/ post event processing involve for social anxiety?
replay evidence of how awful it was- maintains/ increases anxiety
