Midterm (test 1 info also included!) Flashcards
What is the difference between fear and anxiety?
Fear: a response to real and present danger
Anxiety: apprehension about anticipated events
What is the Halo Effect?`
The idea that someones anxiety surrounds them (like a halo), changing the way they view things
Why does anxiety usually do more harm than good?
It becomes so overpowering that it impacts a person’s ability to live a normal life
What are Neuroses?
“Emotional disturbance with awareness”
What do the different anxiety disorders share?
A core system: intense worry disproportionate to actual environmental danger
When did anxiety become a disorder seperate from neuroses?
DSM-III
What is Panic Disorder?
A disorder characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks
How long does a panic attack typically last?
10 mins
What does a panic attack feel like?
Physical symptoms: pounding heart, sweating, shaking, chest pain, nausea, feeling faint
Mentally: feeling of derealization (unreality), depersonalization (detachment from oneself)
What might a person do if they are obsessively worrying about having another panic attack?
Avoidance Strategies
Do avoidance strategies work?
Yes, avoiding the source of anxiety often works… HOWEVER this causes problems in their everyday life, because you can’t always avoid the things that cause anxiety
What is Specific (simple) Phobia?
When you experience persistent, excessive, narrowly defined fears associated with a specific object or situation
- must always occur when exposed to the source
What is Agorophobia?
A type of specific phobia: the extreme fear of situations where escape is difficult or embarassing
What is Social Anxiety Disorder? (social phobia)
The fear of being humiliated or embarassed in front of people… focusses on performance and interpersonal interactions
What are some possible explanations for why there is an increased number of diagnoses of social anxiety disorder?
- each new version of the DSM expands the criteria to be more inclusive
- the definition of “mentally ill” is being loosened
- over-medicalization
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Distress and impairment in occupational or social functioning
- worries are contantly changing, sometimes have no clear source
Why is GAD so controversial?
- what makes worries clinical vs rational, everyday?
- lower diagnostic reliability
- stereotypes: more common in women
- overlap with other disorders… is it distinct?
Where does anxiety come from? (possible explanations)
- evolution
- freud
- behavioural
- life events
- genetics
What types of behavioural treatments are there?
- exposure therapy
- situational desensitization
- relaxation technique
What types of drug therapy have been used to treat anxiety?
- anxiolytics: work immediately but lose effect over time, known for being addictive
- SSRI’s: antidepressants, percieved as safer
What is the rate of comorbidity between anxiety disorders?
50% of people who meet criteria for one disorder also meet the criteria for another
What other disorders have a high degree of comorbidity?
Anxiety and Mood Disorders
When were OCD and PTSD removed from the anxiety disorder category to be seen as distinct disorders?
DSM-V
What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
(PTSD) - when a person is exposed to a traumatic event, which essentially comes “back to haunt them” long after it is over
What was PTSD originally called?
First “shell shock”, then “combat fatigue”, then PTSD
Who is a likely candidate for PTSD?
War veterans, victims of violence, industrial workers who have experienced an accident
What are the 4 symptom clusters of PTSD?
- Re-experiencing
- Avoidance
- Arousal
- Negative Cognitions and Moods
What is “re-experiencing”?
“Dissociative” flashbacks, which can be triggered by past psycho/physiological distress
What is “avoidance”?
Avoiding the stimuli/social situations that could be associated with or trigger PTSD thoughts
What is “arousal”?
- increased arousal/anxiety
- trouble sleeping
- angry outbursts
- reckless behaviour
What are “negative cognitions and moods”?
- inability to recall details from the event
- isolation, disinterest
- feelings of worthlessness, fear, horror, anger, shame
When and how did PTSD get included in the DSM?
It was added to DSM-II, due to social pressure
Why were governments reluctant to accept PTSD as a psychological disorder?
- soldiers no longer seen as heros
- compensation claims
Why might the government want to remain PTSD to “post-traumatic stress injury”?
The word “injury” sounds like something that can heal/go away
What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
(OCD) - someone who exhibits either obsessions or compulsions, or both
What are Obsessions?
Intrusive or recurring thoughts, impulses, or images that a person tries to eliminate but cannot, or has extreme difficulty doing so
How do obsessions differ from worry?
- they are extreme worries… that something horrific will happen
- they are triggered out of the blue
What are “Compulsions”?
Thoughts or actions that provide relief and suppress obsessions
- attempts to control the anxiety
What are the two types of compulsions?
- Checking behaviours: “I know I left the stove on!”
- Cleaning rituals
Why does the DSM state that these obsessive/anxious thoughts can’t be based in real life problems?
Because those thoughts are regular and healthy for living day to day life…
- obsessions must be excessive and completely unreasonable
What is Hoarding Disorder?
Persistent distress discarding possessions due to perceived need
What is Excoriation?
Skin-picking disorder
What is Trichotillomania?
Hair-pulling disorder
What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
An obsession about a specific part or thing about their body
What replaced Hypochondriasis in DSM-V?
Somatic Symptom Disorder and Illness Anxiety Disorder
What is SSD?
When at least one chronic somatic symptom causes excessive preoccupation
What is IAD?
When a person has anxiety over potential undiagnosed illness, does obsessive research, and cannot be reassured by physicians
What does OCD have comorbidity with?
Anxiety and Depression…
- OCD and anxiety responsd to the same treatment
Why does the categorization of different disorders matter?
- categorization affects how the disorder is understood and treated
- issues of stigma
- issues of identity
- stereotypes
What is an eating disorder?
A severe disturbance in eating that results from the sufferer’s obsessive fear of gaining weight
What is the oldest known eating disorder?
Anorexia Nervosa
What is Anorexia Nervosa?
Extreme emaciation - refusal to maintain 85% of “normal” weight
What is Amenorrhea?
When a woman stops menstruating due to deprived nutrition.
What are some side effects of AN?
- sexual difficulites and disinterest
- lack of impulse control
- health problems
What does AN have a high comorbidity with?
OCD, Depression
What is Bulimia Nervosa?
Repeated episodes of binge eating, followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviours.
What is compensating (in terms of BN)?
vomiting, taking laxatives, exercising
What characterizes an eating binge?
Eating an inappropriate amount, lack of control
What does BN have comorbidity with?
Depression, anxiety, BPD, substance abuse
What are some medical issues associated with BN?
- erosion of tooth enamel
- hyper-developed gag reflex
- a rupture of the stomach/esophagus
Compare AN/BN: Eating habits
AN: extreme diet
BN: binge eating/compensatory action
Compare AN/BN: Weight
AN: below normal weight range
BN: within normal weight
Compare AN/BN: Control
AN: rigid self-control
BN: lack of control
Compare AN/BN: Awareness
AN: denial of disorder
BN: aware of disorder
Compare AN/BN: Pride
AN: proud of diet
BN: ashamed of disorder
What is NOS? (not otherwise specified)
A general eating disorder, for those that do not perfectly fall into more specific categories
What is Binge Eating Disorder?
Recurring episodes of eating far more food than an average person would eat in short periods of time
What demographic does Binge Eating Disorder typical affect?
Middle aged men and women
What are some criticisms of Binge Eating Disorder?
- argument that it is a cultural phenomenon
- subjective: one person’s binge is another person’s normal calory intake
What are some possible explanations for AN/BN?
- social/beauty standards set by the media
- family: can be controling, young girls find food all that they can control
- evolutionary: when women eat less, they are seen as less fertile and therefore it is a sign that they do not want a mate
- psychological (bruch): control
What is the Montreux Clinic?
- a clinic founded by Peggy Claude-Pierre in Victoria BC, claimed to heal anorexic patients with only “unconditional love”
What was wrong with the Montreux Clinic?
- government investigations discovered that none of it’s success claims were validated
- possibilities that the staff were uncertified
- abuse of patients
What gender are AN and BN more likely in?
Women
Why are eating disorders more prevalent in Western Society?
- food is prevalent, so avoiding it seen as strong
- culture promotes skinny beauty
Why are men less likely to be diagnosed with an ED?
- they have a higher threshold for “thin”
- they are less likely to realize the problem
- they may not report it, seeing EDs as feminine
What groups of men are more likely to have an ED than the rest?
- wrestlers
- homosexuals
- those with a history of obesity
What are Pro Ana and Pro Mia groups?
Online communities who argue that these issues are not disorders but lifestyle choices
What is wannarexia?
A term used by those with EDs against those who are trying to develop the disorder: wanna be anorexics
Why are EDs different than Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
BDD is categorized along with OCD disorders… BDD does not necessarily have to do with weight
- however it is closely related
What is Orthorexia?
An obsession with eating cleanly/healthily
Is orthorexia a disorder?
No! It’s a cultural term, but it is moving towards being classified as a mental disorder
