Lecture 5: Anxiety disorders - panic with/out agoraphobia

Question 1

criteria for panic disorders

Answer 1

• recurrent panic attacks
• intense fear
• at least one every month, persistent worry or concern ab panic attacks and maladaptive change to behavior

Question 2

Criteria for agoraphobia

Answer 2

• marked fear/anxiety of public situations
• fears or avoids situations
• always provoke fear/anxiety
• actively avoid/require companion

Question 3

features of panic disorder/agoraphobia

Answer 3

o 80-90% panic attacks develops after negative life event
o Panic disorder & agoraphobia more prevalent in women
o Female prevalence increases with higher avoidance ¤ Expression of fear more acceptable in women ¤ Men cope by drinking & smoking & enduring panic attack ¤ Women cope by increasing avoidance > agoraphobia

Question 4

behaviorist approach

Answer 4

explains internal (internal feelings)  and external (external stimulus) drives. 
then have greater generalization of conditioned responses

Question 5

behavioral therapy

Answer 5

o Prolonged exposure to feared situations
o Useful for 60-75% people with agoraphobia
o Effects maintained at 2 & 4 year follow ups
o Interoceptive exposure to feared internal sensations. For exmaple breath control vs. hyperventilation, jogging in place, shaking one’s head, etc.

Question 6

cognitive perspective

Answer 6

viscous cycle of panic attacks - internal/external stimuli experienced triggering threat, alongside bodily sensations being later interpreted as panic attacks. also mentioned vulnerabilities for panic

Question 7

cog distortions in panic

Answer 7

study (teachman et al 2007) showed people in panic group have higher ratings of bodily sensations

Question 8

anxiety sensitivity: risk factor

Answer 8

anxiety sensitivity plays a role in panic disorder, but is not specific to panic disorder can be generalised to many things like depression

Question 9

safety behaviors

Answer 9

there because they are convinced panic attacks will come again. can include breathing, medication - provides short term relief but reinforced avoidance bhevaiour

Question 10

nocturnal panic attacks

Answer 10

o 50-60% experience a panic attack during sleep
o Different from nightmares & other night terrors
o Can’t be explained by cognitive theory – hard to understand how catastrophic cognitions may develop during sleep (makes therapy/theory less powerful)
o Explained by interoceptive conditioning