Week 2 Flashcards
Describe panic disorder
Characterised by sudden and repeated feeling of terror and anxiety panic attacks. Diagnosed with or without agoraphobia.
Prevalence rate is 2% for men and 5% for women.
What does prevalence means
With any population at any given time, how many are experiencing said thing.
What happens during panic attacks and what’re some symptoms?
Peaks within 10 minutes, and involves four or more of the following symptoms:
- heart palpitations/ racing pulse
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- hot or cold flashes
- chocking sensation
- fizziness
- fear of imminent death
- numbness or tingling
- derealisation
- nausea
- sweating
- trembling
- fear if going insane
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Chronic, excessive anxiety that occurs for at least 6 months, for more days than not.
Characterised by presence of at least 3 of the following:
- restlessness or feeling on edge
- being easily fatigued
- difficulty concentrating or mind blank
- irritability
-muscle tension
- sleep disturbance
Prevalence rate or GAD is 2% makes and 3.5% females approx
What’s agoraphobia
Fear of being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarassing) or in which help might not be available in the event of having unexpected panic like symptoms
What’s social phobia?
A fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others and feels he or she will act in an embarrassing manner.
- exposure to the feared social situation provoked anxiety, which can take the form of a panic attack.
Specific phobia
Chronic excessive fear that is cued by the presence of anticipation of a specific object or situation
-animal
- natural environment
- blood/injection
- situational
-other
Exposure provokes possibke panic attack
Patients recognise that the fear is excessive or unreasonable
If distress is Interfering with their normal routine, then a phobia rather than just a fear
Describe the reinforcement part of operant conditioning
Operant conditioning
- reinforcement, any event or consequence that occurs which increases the likelihood of behaviour occurring again.
Positive reinforcement: the delivery of a pleasant consequence following the behaviour. Behaviour likely to increase in order to achieve the pleasant/rewarding outcome/consequence again.
Negative reinforcement: the removal of an unpleasant stimuli when a desired behaviour occurs. Removing unpleasant stimuli are considered reinforcements as this should increase likelihood of same behaviour occurring again as the organism tries to remove or escape from the unpleasant situation.
What are the three theories of the development of anxiety?
Operant conditioning
Classical conditioning
Modelling (observing someone else be afraid of something)
What are classically conditioned responses?
Classical conditioning: “a process where a previously neutral stimulus elicits a response after being paired with a stimulus that automatically elicits a response” (Pavlov’s dog, sound and salivate)
Classical conditioning can explain how phobias develop. Pairing a scary stimuli with a neutral stimuli - becomes conditioned to fear the previously neutral stimuli (John Watson with Little Albert)
Describe operant conditioning in regards to punishment?
A stimulus/ environmental consequence which decrease the likelihood of the behaviour occurring again.
Positive punishment: the introduction of an unpleasant stimulus (or consequence) following a behaviour. The behaviour should decrease as the organism tried to avoid experiencing the negative stimulus in the future.
Negative punishment: the removal of a pleasant stimuli/environment, or the failure to provide a positive consequence following the behaviour. The behaviour should decrease as the organism tries to maintain the pleasant stimuli/environment.
When we are afraid of something and avoid it (negative enforcement by removing unpleasant stimuli) and so avoidance behaviour is rewarded and increases (operant conditioning). Meaning the fear is maintained.
Different theories of anxiety
Cognitive processes
- interpretion is informtaion and or psychological arousal threatening
- coping strategies and personality type
- appear important in most anxiety disorder, especially PTSD
Environmental factors:
- stressful life events associated with developing anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and ptsd
Genetic factors
- different gene types can influence biology/physiology of the brain, Eg increase brain reactivity to perceived threats
- appears important in OCD, GAD some phobias
Describe the criteria for Post traumatic stress disorder
When the person meets four basic criteria:
- exposure to a traumatic event which resulted in a response of intense fear, helplessness or horror
- persistent re experiencing of the traumatic event (eg nightmares of flashbacks)
- persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event and a numbing of general responsiveness
- persistent symptoms of heightened arousal
PTSD symptoms usually behind within 3 months or the trauma, but delays of months and years been reported.
Lifetime prevalence within the general community 1-14%
(War veterans, victims of explosions etc in higher risk prevalence group of 3-58%)
Prevalence among rape victims at 50+%
What’s obsessive compulsive disorder?
OCD is an anxiety disorder in which the mind is flooded with persistent and uncontrollable thoughts or the individual is compelled to repeat certain acts again and again, causing significant distress and interference with everyday functioning.
Obsessions: persistent, intrusive idea, impulses or images that are unwanted or inappropriate and that cause distress
Compulsions:
Repetitive behaviours or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules they must be applied rigidly
Aimee at preventing or reducing stress or preventing some dreaded event or situation.
OCD effect 2-3% of the population. More common among women.
What’re depressive disorders?
Characterised by disturbances to mood and emotion
Mood: a general feeling, typically not directed at anything
Emotion: a state of arousal that is typically directed at a person or object or experience
Define depression
Negative lowered mood or state
Define mania
An intense but unwarranted state of elation
Symptoms of depression and
- was or depressed mood most of the day
- loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities
- difficultly sleeping
- shift in activity level
- poor appetite or weight loss or vice versa
- loss of energy
- Negative self concept
- Thoughts of deaths or suicide
- Difficulty concentrating
Describe the symptoms in the bipolar disorder, mania
- increase in activity level (work socially sexually)
- talking a lot
- flight of ideas
- less than usual sleep needed
- inflated self esteem
- distractability
- excessive involvement in pleasurable activity
Major depressive disorder (MDD)
Requires the presence of the symptoms of depression for a period of at least 2 weeks.
Twice as common in women, occurs frequently in young adults
Major depression has a lifetime prevalence of 10-25% (women), 5-12% or men.
Tends to recur
- 80% who experience a single episode will have another within 1 year
- 15% of those develop a chronic form with multiple recurring episodes of depression
What’s dysthymia disorder?
A less severe but more chronic form of depression. Requires the presence of the depressed mood (but not MDD) for a period of at least 2 years.
Lifetime prevalence of 6-8% in women and 5% in men. At any given time 3% of population have it.
Tends to start in adolescence, and average duration is 5 years (but can persist as long as 20 years).
What’s bipolar disorder?
Characterised by the presence of manic episode and an episode of depression. There are subtypes if bipolar, but most common involves both manic and depressed episodes.
Is a recurring disorder: 90% have a second episode. Majority resume normal functioning between episodes m.
Equally common in men and women
Research (twin/ adoption studies) suggest a strong genetic link.
Lifetime prevalence about 1.5%.
Theories of causes of depression
- Life events/environmental factors
- psychosocial stressors in the environment of children and adults are associated with the development of depressive symptoms
Risk factors include:
-negative home environment
- death of family member (when a child)
- parental divorce
- loss of employment
-lack of intimate relationship
Interpersonal model as a theory of a cause of depression
Coyne (1976) behaviours associated with depression leads to increased social isolation and increased depression
Cycle:
Depressed mood-excessive support seeking- increased pressure on relationships-avoidance or frustration in others- depressed mood.
Lewinsohn’s behavioural model as a theory of depressions
Lack of reinforcement when engaging in social or pleasurable activities leads to withdrawal, thus reducing likelihood of reward even more
May become positively reinforced for withdrawing (others initially show increased concern and empathy)
Therefore, this model suggest depression can be reduced simply by re engaging in social or pleasant activities.
Cognitive model: Becks theory of depression (theory of cause)
ideas about World- self-future
Cognitive triad
Negative schemata or beliefs triggered by negative life events
Cognitive biases
Depression
Theory of cause of depression - seligmans theory of learned helplessness (dog shocks)
Uncontrollable aversive event | Sense of helplessness | Depression
aversive event | Attributes to global and stable factors | Sense of helplessness, no response available Depression
Dogs ended up crying even though they knew there was an area they wouldn’t get shocked
Biological causes as a theory of depression
Twin studies indicate a medium effect of genes, both directly and indirectly
-Capsi et al (2003) report people who have two copies of a stress sensitive gene are more vulnerable to developing depressions following a stressful event
Reduction/imbalance in neurotransmitters (the brains chemical messengers) such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline
Suicide
Depressive and bipolar disorders are strongly associated with increased risk of suicide
People with bipolar approx 15 times more likely to commit suicide than general population
Suicide itself not classified as a disorder in DSM
Accounts for 1.4% if deaths in Australia
More makes commit suicide than makes, more women attempt it
Risk factors included in suicide:
Depression Hopelessness Substance abuse Schizophrenia Chronic painful or disfiguring illness Recent loss of loved one
What’s the reality of the myth: talking to depressed people about suicide makes them more likely to commit it
Reality: talking to depressed persons about suicide makes them more likely to get help
What’s the reality of the myth: suicide is almost always completed with no warning
Reality: many or most individuals who commit suicide communicate their intent to others
What’s the reality of the myth: as a severe depression lifts, peoples suicide risk decreases
Reality: as severe depression lifts the risk of suicide is actually greater, in part because individuals possess more energy to actually do it
What’s the reality of the myth: most people who threaten suicide are seeking attention
Although attention seeking motivates some suicidal behaviours, most suicidal acts stem form severe depression and hopelessness.
What’s the reality about the myth: people who talk a lot about suicide almost never commit it
Talking about suicide is associated with a considerably greater risk of suicide.
