T4: Lecture 2

Question 1

What is anxiety?

Answer 1

Apprehension about an anticipated issue

Question 2

What is fear/panic?

Answer 2

Apprehensive response to immediate threat/danger

-Instinctive response

Question 3

What is Yerkes-Dodson Law

Answer 3

• They argue that level of anxiety may have indications of performance
• As anxiety increases, so does performance. Until reaching the optimal arousal level
• As anxiety continues to increase, performance is debilitated

Question 4

What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder characterised by?

Answer 4

• Apprehensive expectation
• Excessive/irrational/disproportionate worry
• Is generalised and persistent. Not situational
• Individuals find difficult to control worry, feel distressed due to their worry

Question 5

What is the main feature of Panic Disorder?

Answer 5

Discrete period of intense fear in the absence of real danger

Question 6

What does Panic Disorder ellicit?

Answer 6

• Physiological symptoms
• Sudden onset, builds rapidly
• Not predictable or confined to situations therefore individuals avoid areas of potential triggers

Question 7

What can individuals with Panic Disorder also develop?

Answer 7

Agoraphobia

Question 8

What is the diagnostic criteria for Agoraphobia?

Answer 8

Fear/anxiety about at least 2:

• Using public transport
• standing in line or being in crowd
• being in open/enclosed spaces
• outside of house alone

Question 9

What is Social Anxiety?

Answer 9

• Fear/anxiety about social situations where individual exposed to possible scrutiny by others
• Fear they will act in a way that will be negatively evaluated by others

Question 10

What are Specific Phobias evoked by?

Answer 10

• Specific circumstances or situations

- Fear is out of proportion to situation and beyond voluntary control

Question 11

What is a characteristic behavioural response of individuals with Specific Phobias?

Answer 11

Avoidance

Question 12

What are the common features of Obsessive-Compulsive-Related Disorders?

Answer 12

Repetitive thought and intense behaviours which cause distress, feel uncomfortable, and are time intensive

Question 13

What are the three Obsessive-Compulsive-Related Disorders?

Answer 13

• OCD
• BDD: Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• Hoarding Disorder

Question 14

What are obsessions?

Answer 14

Intrusive/reoccurring thoughts/images/impulses that are persistent/uncontrollable/irrational

Question 15

What are the most common obsessions?

Answer 15

• Contamination
• Body problems
• Religion
• Symmetry/order

Question 16

What are compulsions?

Answer 16

-Repetitive/excessive behaviours/mental acts a person is driven to perform to decrease anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts or prevent expected consequences

Question 17

What does the DSM-5 criteria say for PTSD?

Answer 17

• Exposure to actual/threatened death/serious injury/sexual violence
• Persistence of 1+ intrusive symptoms (distressing memories etc)
• Negative alterations in cognition and mood (amnesia, detachments, negative belief)
• Alterations in arousal and reactivity (irritable, reckless, hyper-vigilant)
• Duration must be OVER 1 MONTH with significant distress/impairment

Question 18

What are the shared risk factors for these disorders?

Answer 18

• Fear conditioning
• Genetics
• Personality
• Cognitive ( e.g. automatic negative thoughts)
• Neurobiology (e.g. PSTD neural paths)

Question 19

What are the treatments for these disorders?

Answer 19

• Relaxation
• Cognitive restructuring
• Exposure therapy
• Behavioural experiments challenging the hypothesis, habituate, then learn

Question 20

What happens in exposure therapy?

Answer 20

• Patient is exposed in prolonged/consistent fearful situation
• Either in vivo or imagination
• Sympathetic desensitisation through relaxation strategies
• Very effective