Lecture 4 Anxiety

Question 1

what is anxiety often labelled as?

Answer 1

fear/ panic

Question 2

what do you perceive to experience anxiety?

Answer 2

threat

Question 3

what are the 3 interrelated anxiety systems?

Answer 3

physical, cognitive, behavioral

Question 4

the physical system is also known as?

Answer 4

fight or flight

Question 5

how does the physical system deal with anxiety?

Answer 5

mobilises resources

Question 6

what are the symptoms of the physical system?

Answer 6

sweating, heart rate, tremble

Question 7

what happens with the cognitive system?

Answer 7

attentional shift- hyper vigilance to source of threat

Question 8

what is the effect of the cognitive system on the whole system?

Answer 8

can’t focus on anything but threat

Question 9

what happens with the behavioral system?

Answer 9

avoidance/ escape or aggression

Question 10

why are normal anxiety responses set up?

Answer 10

to keep you alive

Question 11

list the Eliciting conditions of normal anxiety

Answer 11

realistic threat to self- physical
prepared stimuli- snakes or insects
novel- don’t know what to expect

Question 12

what does threat appraisal mean?

Answer 12

an assessment of environment: generates expectancy of harm

Question 13

perceived probability means:

Answer 13

how likely it is that these things will happen

Question 14

perceived cost means:

Answer 14

how bad is it if these things happen?

Question 15

how does anxiety develop through observational learning?

Answer 15

watching someone else ( be in accident for example)

Question 16

how does anxiety develop through instruction?

Answer 16

being told not to do something because to will have a consequence

Question 17

is abnormal anxiety actually qualitatively different from normal anxiety?

Answer 17

no, it has the same aspects- cog, phys, behavioural. one continuum

Question 18

what distinguishes abnormal anxiety?

Answer 18

excessive or inappropriate occurence, overestimation of threat, cost or probability of harm

Question 19

what do people with physical fears typically overestimate?

Answer 19

the probability- more likely

Question 20

what do people with social fears overestimate?

Answer 20

cost- embarrassment is worse than death

Question 21

anxiety is meant to keep you alive, so people with anxiety disorders have an..

Answer 21

internal dysfunction- perceive a threat that isn’t there

Question 22

why are anxiety disorders harmful?

Answer 22

because they interfere with daily life and social activities

Question 23

what causes anxiety disorders to remain and get worse?

Answer 23

avoidance- must address and expose to get better

Question 24

list the 8 DSM 4 anxiety disorders

Answer 24

separation anxiety (childhood onset)
specific phobia
social phobia
generalized anxiety disorder
OCD
panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia)
PTSD
acute stress disorder

Question 25

List the 5 anxiety disorders added to DSM 5

Answer 25

selective mutism
separation anxiety- child OR adult
adjustment disorder
reactive attachment disorder
disinhibited social engagement disorder

Question 26

what are people who suffer with social anxiety afraid of?

Answer 26

social situations and being exposed to possible scrutiny

Question 27

what are some more specific things that people who suffer with social anxiety are afraid of?

Answer 27

• new social interactions, performing, being observed.

- showing anxiety

Question 28

what provokes social anxiety?

Answer 28

normal social situations

Question 29

at least how long does social anxiety persist?

Answer 29

6 months

Question 30

why does social anxiety pose threat?

Answer 30

significant distress and impairment in social functioning- can’t interfere with co workers etc.

Question 31

social anxiety is not better explained by other disorders because..

Answer 31

focus of threat/ fear is very unique

Question 32

Epidemiology of Social Anxiety

Answer 32

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

Question 33

what is the assumption of people who suffer from cognitive model of social phobia ?

Answer 33

excessively high standards- things should go perfectly

Question 34

what are the conditional beliefs about consequences of social anxiety?

Answer 34

if i don’t do this, then i’ll get humiliated and they will think I’m stupid

Question 35

what are the unconditional beliefs of social phobia about the self?

Answer 35

i’m stupid and they’ll see this. thinking about this causes anxiety

Question 36

where does your attention shift if you have social anxiety?

Answer 36

to the source of anxiety: your self

Question 37

what are the safety behaviors of social anxiety?

Answer 37

don’t look at people, speak soft, etc. divert attention away- they come across as rude

Question 38

what effects does the safety behaviors of social anxiety have?

Answer 38

increases:
self focused attention
increases anxiety symptoms

interfere with social performance- come across as antisocial
evaluation> confirm fears

Question 39

what does pre/ post event processing involve for social anxiety?

Answer 39

replay evidence of how awful it was- maintains/ increases anxiety