Levels of Anxiety Table 15.1 Flashcards
Mild Anxiety Perceptual Field
Heightened perceptual field
Focus is flexible and is aware of the anxiety
Mild Anxiety Ability to Solve Problems
Able to work effectively toward a goal and examine alternatives
Mild levels of anxiety can alert the person that something is wrong and can stimulate appropriate action.
Mild Anxiety Physical or Other Characteristics
- Slight discomfort
- Attention-seeking behavior
- Restlessness
- Easily startled
- Irritability or impatience
- Mild tension-relieving behavior (foot or finger tapping, lip chewing, fidgeting)
Moderate Anxiety Perceptual Field
Narrowed perceptual field
Grasps less of what is going
Focuses on the source of the anxiety Less able to pay attention
Moderate Anxiety Ability to Solve Problems
Able to solve problems but not at optimal level
Moderate levels of anxiety can alert the person that something is wrong and can stimulate appropriate action.
Moderate Anxiety Physical or Other Characteristics
- Voice tremors
- Change in voice pitch
- Poor concentration
- Shakiness
- Somatic complaints (urinary frequency, headache, backache, insomnia)
- Increased respiration, pulse, and muscle tension
- More tension-relieving behavior (pacing, banging hands on table)
Severe Anxiety Perceptual Field
Greatly reduced and distorted perceptual field
Focuses on details or one specific detail
Attention is scattered
Severe Anxiety Ability to Solve Problems
Problem-solving feels impossible
Unable to see connections between events or details
Severe anxiety prevents problem-solving. Unproductive relief behaviors perpetuate a vicious cycle.
Severe Anxiety Physical or Other Characteristics
- Feelings of dread
- Confusion
- Purposeless activity
- Sense of impending doom
- More intense somatic complaints (chest discomfort, dizziness, nausea, sleeplessness)
- Diaphoresis (sweating)
- Withdrawal
- Loud and rapid speech
- Threats and demands
Panic Anxiety Perceptual Field
Unable to attend to the environment
Focus is lost; may feel unreal (depersonalization) or that the world is unreal (derealization)
Panic Anxiety Ability to Solve Problems
Completely unable to process what is happening
Disorganized or irrational reasoning
Panic anxiety prevent problem-solving. Unproductive relief behaviors perpetuate a vicious cycle.
Panic Anxiety Physical or Other Characteristics
- Experience of terror
- Immobility, severe hyperactivity, or flight
- Unintelligible communication or inability to speak
- Amplified or muffled sounds
- Somatic complaints increase (numbness or tingling, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, nausea, trembling, chills, overheating, palpitations)
- Severe withdrawal
- Hallucinations or delusions
- Likely out of touch with reality
