Panic Disorder Flashcards
why do we have anxiety?
it’s our inbuilt threat system - designed to alert us
What is the physiology of anxiety?
Fight or flight response e.g. palpitations, shaking, sweating, nausea, dizziness etc
What behavioural consequences are there of anxiety?
desire to avoid or escape
What emotional consequences are there of anxiety?
Stress, worry, afraid, nervous, on edge
What cognitive consequences are there of anxiety?
- Inflated sense of danger
- Worry ‘what if…’
- Cognitive biases - attention to threat, interpretation of threat, inflated sense of danger (catastrophising - lots of different unhelpful thinking styles will creep in)
How are anxiety disorders characterised?
- fears out of proportion to the threat posed by the current situation
- recurrent or persistent
- limiting in terms of activities, goals, occupation or relationships
What are the DSM-5 criteria for panic disorder?
- Panic Attacks
- Worry/anxiety about panic attacks or avoidance
- not due to drugs/medical condition
- not another anxiety disorder
How does the DSM-5 define a panic attack?
An abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes, and during which time 4 more symptoms occur.
The abrupt surge can occur from a calm state or an anxious state
What is the lifetime prevalence of panic disorder?
1.5-3.5%
What is the UK prevalence of panic disorder?
1.7%
What distinct feature is there of panic attacks that separates it from other anxiety disorders with panic attacks?
Intense fear of experiencing panic attacks
What biological theories are there of panic disorder?
- Hyperventilation
- Noradrenergic overactivity
What psychological theories are there of panic disorder?
- Classical conditioning
- Anxiety sensitivity
- Catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations
- psychodynamic theory of panic
What is hyperventilation?
a rapid form of breathing that results in ventilation exceeding metabolic demand and has an end result of raising blood pH levels. a common feature of panic attacks
What did Ley (1987) suggest about hyperventilation theory?
That shortness of breath & heart palpitations are the cause of panic attacks rathe than the effect.
- affects CO2 levels, resulting in a rise in pH levels producing mild symptoms
- continues to rise and passes a critical point where tolerance gives way to alarm and fear
- sympathetic nervous system takes over, further exacerbating panic symptoms
What evidence is there for Ley’s hyperventilation theory?
- Biological challenge tests
- panic attacks induced by hyperventilation
- however. they’re only generated in individuals with a history of panic attacks
What did Klein (1993) suggest about hyperventilation theory?
Suffocation Alarm Theories
- panic attacks are due to a ‘suffocation monitor’ in the brain that mistakenly signals a lack of useful air, triggering the suffocation alarm system
- CO2 acts as a panic stimulus, suggesting suffocation may be imminent
- People prone to panic attacks have an oversensitive suffocation alarm system
What evidence is there for Klein’s suffocation alarm theory?
- People with panic disorder report more shortness of breath when anxious & greater fear of suffocation
- people without panic disorder focus on heart palpitations rather than respiratory symptoms
- however, whilst panic patients are hypersensitive to alterations in breathing, this is not specific to CO2
- cognitive symptoms, such as fear of dying or loss of control, were the most highly associated with a clinical panic attack
What is the noradrenergic overactivity theory?
People with panic disorder may have overactivity in the noradrenergic neurotransmitter system
What evidence is there for the noradrenergic overactivity theory?
- Drugs which increase noradrenergic function induce anxiety
- greater levels of norepinephrine have been shown to occur with anxiety conditions
- mechanism of action in some antidepressants maybe due to their ability to reduce central noradrenergic function
- people with panic may also be deficient in the GABA neurons that inhibit noradrenergic activity
What is the issue with the noradrenergic overactivity theory?
Is it a cause or effect?