Phobias, Depression and OCD Flashcards
What are phobias?
A type of anxiety disorder that are characterised by uncontrollable, extreme, irrational and enduring fears and involve anxiety levels that are out of proportion to any actual risk. Females have twice the incidence of phobias as males. Most phobias originate in childhood but lessen during adulthood. People generally have insight into their conditions as they realise the fear reactions are irrational but they cannot consciously control them
What are the two behavioural symptoms of phobias?
Avoidant/anxiety response and disruption of functioning
What is the avoidant/anxiety response?
As confrontation with feared objects and situations produce high anxiety responses, efforts are made to avoid the feared objects and situations in order to reduce the chances of such anxiety responses occurring
What is disruption of functioning?
Anxiety and avoidance responses are so extreme that they severely interfere with the ability to conduct everyday working and social functioning
What are the two emotional symptoms of phobias?
Persistent, excessive fear and fear from exposure to phobic stimulus
What are persistent, excessive fears?
Phobias produce high levels of anxiety due to the presence of or anticipation of feared objects and situations
What is fear from exposure to phobic stimulus?
Phobias produce an immediate fear response due to the presentation of the phobic object or situation
What is the cognitive symptom of phobias?
Recognition of exaggerated anxiety
What is recognition of exaggerated anxiety?
People who suffer from phobias are consciously aware that the anxiety levels they experience in relation to their feared object are overstated
What is depression?
It can begin any time in adolescence onwards with average age of onset in the late twenties. At least five symptoms must be apparent every day for two weeks for depression to be diagnosed by a doctor. One of the five symptoms must be constant depressed mood or lessened interest in daily activities
What are the five behaviour symptoms of depression?
- Loss of energy
- Social impairment
- Weight changes
- Poor personal hygiene
- Sleep pattern disturbance
What are the four cognitive symptoms for depression?
- Delusions
- Reduced concentration
- Thoughts of death
- Poor memory
What are delusions?
Faulty beliefs generally concerning guilt, punishment or disease and some will also experience hallucinations
What is OCD?
It is an anxiety disorder where suffers experience persistent and intrusive thoughts occurring as obsessions, compulsions or a combination of both. Contamination and cleaning are more common in females whereas male focus more on religion and sexual obsessions. It is more common in male children than females but female generally have a later, sudden to study with fewer severe symptoms
What is an obsession?
Things that people think about. For example contamination, fear of losing control and perfectionism. It is an internal component
