w2 - anxiety disorders Flashcards
Q: What is anxiety?
A: A common, normal, and universal emotion that helps detect threats, activate fight-flight-freeze responses, and motivate action.
Q: When does anxiety become a disorder?
A: When it is excessive, causes significant distress or impairment, and includes overestimation of threat likelihood and cost.
Q: How did DSM-5 change anxiety disorder classifications?
A: PTSD, OCD, and other related disorders were separated from the general ‘anxiety disorders’ category.
Q: What is a panic attack?
A: A sudden surge of intense fear/discomfort peaking within minutes with ‚â•4 physical or cognitive symptoms (e.g. chest pain, fear of dying).
Q: What’s the difference between a panic attack and panic disorder?
A: Panic disorder involves recurrent unexpected panic attacks + persistent worry or behavioural change for ‚â•1 month.
Q: What is the typical age of onset and prevalence for panic disorder?
A: Around age 30; affects 3.5–4.7% of people; higher prevalence in females.
Q: What are the two types of panic attacks?
A: Expected (cued by known trigger) and unexpected (spontaneous, no obvious trigger).
Q: What is agoraphobia?
A: Intense fear of being in ‚â•2 situations where escape/help might be difficult if panic or embarrassing symptoms occur.
Q: How is agoraphobia diagnosed?
A: Fear must be persistent (‚â•6 months), cause distress/impairment, and not be better explained by another condition.
Q: How is agoraphobia different from panic disorder?
A: Agoraphobia can occur without panic attacks and tends to be more chronic.
Q: What is Clark’s Cognitive Model (1986)?
A: A cycle where bodily sensations are interpreted catastrophically, leading to panic (e.g. ‘My heart racing = heart attack!’).
Q: What is the Triple Vulnerability Model (Barlow, 2002)?
A: 1) Biological vulnerability, 2) General psychological vulnerability, 3) Disorder-specific psychological vulnerability.
Q: What maintains panic disorder?
A: Catastrophic misinterpretations, hyperfocus on body sensations, avoidance, and safety behaviours.
Q: What is CBT’s role in treating panic disorder and agoraphobia?
A: It targets misinterpretations, reduces avoidance, and includes interoceptive + graded exposure.
Q: What is interoceptive exposure?
A: Intentionally triggering panic symptoms (e.g. dizziness) to reduce fear and test beliefs.
Q: What is the SUDS scale?
A: Subjective Units of Distress Scale—used to rank distress levels for exposure therapy.
Q: What defines social anxiety disorder?
A: Intense fear of social situations involving scrutiny; fear of humiliation, embarrassment, rejection.
Q: How is SAD different from shyness?
A: It’s more intense, causes functional impairment, and involves greater avoidance.
Q: What are some physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms of SAD?
A: Sweating, racing heart, avoidance, low mood, dread, fear of judgment.
Q: What is the lifetime prevalence and typical onset of SAD?
A: ~8%; usually begins in adolescence; chronic if untreated.
Q: What is GAD?
A: Excessive, uncontrollable worry about multiple topics more days than not for ‚â•6 months.
Q: What are key symptoms of GAD?
A: At least 3: restlessness, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, sleep issues.
Q: How is GAD distinct from other anxiety disorders?
A: It’s more pervasive, chronic, and includes future-oriented worry about many topics.
Q: What is the average onset and prevalence of GAD?
A: Onset ~31–39 years; ~6% lifetime prevalence; more common in women.
Q: What is the Avoidance Model of GAD?
A: Verbal worry is used to avoid distressing imagery/emotions and suppress physiological arousal.
Q: What is the Emotion Dysregulation Model?
A: People with GAD experience emotions more intensely and struggle to identify and regulate them.
Q: What is the Intolerance of Uncertainty Model?
A: Worry is used to try and gain control over uncertain situations, which worsens anxiety.
Q: What is the Metacognitive Model?
A: Type 1 worry is about everyday concerns; Type 2 is worry about worry (meta-worry), leading to anxiety about anxiety.
Q: What is the role of positive and negative beliefs in GAD?
A: People may believe worry is helpful (positive) or harmful (negative), both of which sustain the disorder.
Q: What is the most supported treatment for GAD?
A: CBT—tailored to model; focuses on psychoeducation, exposure, cognitive restructuring, and emotion regulation.
Q: What are lifestyle factors important in treating GAD?
A: Regular exercise, limiting alcohol/caffeine, and good sleep hygiene.
Q: What is worry postponement?
A: Scheduling ‘worry time’ to contain and reduce excessive worry, often used in CBT.
Q: What does imaginal exposure involve?
A: Visualizing feared outcomes to reduce avoidance and build distress tolerance.
Q: What is the pink elephant metaphor in GAD?
A: Suppressing thoughts (like ‘don‚Äôt think of a pink elephant’) can make them stronger‚Äîapplies to worry suppression.
Q: What does a clinical psychologist do?
A: Assessment, treatment planning, supervision, professional development, and sometimes research or teaching.
Q: What is involved in assessment by a clinical psychologist?
A: Understanding causes of psychological distress, often through diagnostic interviews and context evaluation.
Q: Can clinical psychologists prescribe medication?
A: No, only psychiatrists can prescribe medication.
Q: What is supervision in clinical psychology?
A: Regular sessions with a board-approved supervisor to maintain registration; can also become a supervisor.
Q: What is required for clinical psychologist professional development?
A: At least 30 hours of clinical psych-related learning each year.
Q: What is the tutor’s preferred term for people seeking mental health help and why?
A: ‘Clients’ ‚Äî reflects a two-way communication where the psychologist respects the client’s expertise in their own experiences.
Q: What are key personal qualities for a psychologist?
A: Empathy, patience, critical thinking, self-reflection, emotional regulation, cultural sensitivity, and professional integrity.
Q: What are the three overarching categories of mental health services?
A: Inpatient care, community mental health care, and private practice.
Q: What is inpatient care?
A: Facility-based care for severe mental illness requiring supervision and intensive treatment.
Q: What is community mental health care?
A: Accessible services like therapy, support groups, and rehab programs to support recovery in the community.
Q: What is private practice?
A: One-on-one or small group therapy, often personalised and effective but may have long wait times and high cost.
Q: What is the theoretical value of having diverse mental health services?
A: Increases accessibility, supports different severities and personal needs, and prevents people falling through gaps.
Q: What are challenges of working in inpatient care?
A: Emotional intensity, burnout risk, and potential danger during psychological crises.
Q: What are challenges of community mental health care?
A: Underfunding, large caseloads, and bureaucratic barriers like heavy paperwork.
Q: What are challenges of private practice?
A: Client disengagement, professional isolation, and complex confidentiality decisions.
Q: What are positive aspects of being a psychologist?
A: Witnessing client growth, contributing to society, deep emotional connection, and lifelong learning opportunities.
