Phobias , Depression and OCD Flashcards
What are phobias?
- Classified as anxiety disorders
- Primary symptoms: extreme anxiety and conscious avoidance of a feared object or situation
- e.g Agoraphobia: fear certain situations
What is the behaviour characteristics of phobias?
PANIC
- Panic
- The usual stress response is fight or flight but for phobics, it is fight or freeze - interfering with everyday life
What is the behaviour characteristics of phobias?
AVOIDANCE
Avoidance
Considerable effort to avoid coming into contact with the phobic stimulus. Hard to go everyday life if the phobic stimulus is often seen e.g public places
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?
ANXIETY AND FEAR
Anxiety and Fear
Fear is the immediate experience when a phobic encounters of thinks about the phobic stimulus
Fear leads to anxiety
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?
RESPONSES ARE UNREASONABLE
Reasons are unreasonable
Responses are widely disproportionate to the threat posed
e.g arachnophobic having strong emotional response to a tiny spider
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
SELECTIVE ATTENTION TO THE PHOBIC STIMULUS
The phobic finds it hard to look away from the phobic stimulus
e.g pogonophobia (fear of beards) cannot concentrate on a task if there is a bearded man in the room
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
IRRATIONAL BELIEFS
Resistance to rational thoughts
Recognises the fear is excessive or unreasonable - may be absent in children
e.g social phobias include beliefs like ‘ I must always sound intelligent’
What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
ACTIVITY LEVELS
- Activity levels may increase/decrease
- Sufferers of depression have reduced levels of energy making them lethargic
- In extreme cases, it can be so severe that the sufferer cannot get out of bed :hypersomnia
What is the behavioural characteristics of depression?
DISRUPTION TO SLEEP AND EATING BEHAVIOUR
- Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour
- Sufferers may have reduced sleep -insomnia or increased need for sleep -hypersomnia
What are the emotional characteristics of depression?
LOWERED MOOD
More pronounced than the daily feeling of lethargic or sad
Low self-esteem
Loss of interests and pleasure in usual activities
What is the emotional characteristics of depression?
ANGER
Such emotions lead to aggression or self-harming behaviour
What is the cognitive characteristics of depression?
POOR CONCENTRATION
Sufferers may find themselves unable to stick with a task as they should
find a simple decision difficult
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
ABSOLUTE THINKING
- ‘Black and white thinking’ when a situation is unfortunate
- it is seen as an absolute disaster
- Pemissimistic biew of the world
- Negative thoughts are irrational and do not accurately reflect reality
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?
COMPULSIONS
Actions that are carried out repeatedly e.g handwashing
The same behaviour is repeated in a ritualistic way to reduce anxiety
Failure to complete this behaviour cause excessive anxiety
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?
AVOIDANCE
The OCD is managed to avoid situations that trigger anxiety
e.g OCD sufferers who wash repeatedly may avoid coming into contact with germs
