Module 4: Anxiety and Related Disorders Flashcards
Define ‘anxiety’
An affective state in which an individual feels threatened by the potential occurrence of a future negative state
How does anxiety differ from fear?
Fear is present oriented whereas anxiety is future orientated
What are the 3 distinct components of emotion?
- Physiological
- Cognitive
- Behavioural
Who was one of the earliest theorists to focus on anxiety?
Freud
In the DSM 5, anxiety-related disorders are categorized into 3 distinct groups:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
- Trauma and stressor related disorders
Panic disorder is characterized by…
Recurrent and unexpected panic attacks that develop suddenly and reach a peak within minutes
In panic disorder, at least one of the panic attacks must be followed by…
persistent concerns (lasting at least one month)
Agoraphobia
Anxiety about being in places or situations in which an individual might find it difficult to escape or in which they would not have help if a panic attack occurred
According to cognitive theories, agoraphobia is thought to develop from…
catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations
According to behavioural theories, specific phobia disorder is thought to develop due to…
an inability to habituate to certain stimuli because of lack of exposure
Cognitive features associated with social anxiety disorder appear to involve…
abnormal social information processing and negative beliefs about self and others
How long does pathological worry and other symptoms have to be present for a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder?
At least 6 months
Cognitive behavioural features associated with generalized anxiety disorder…
worry as an avoidance strategy and intolerance for uncertainties (IU)
Primary features of OCD
recurrent obsessions and compulsions that cause marked distress
Body dysmorphic disorder is characterized by a…
preoccupation with perceived defects in one’s own physical appearance, often accompanied by repetitive behaviours in response to concerns
OCD patients tend to fuse thoughts and behaviours together, what does this mean?
Patients believe that having a particular thought increases the probability that the thought will come true and/ or having a particular thought is the moral equivalent of a particular action
Central feature of PTSD
The individual continues to re-experience intrusive, unwanted recollections of a past traumatic event
What does the duration of disturbance have to be to receive a diagnosis of PTSD?
at least 1 month
What does the two-factor behavioural theory state?
Fears develop through the process of classical conditioning and are maintained through operant conditioning (avoidance)
ex; think of the case of Little Albert