Anxiety & Phobias

What is anxiety?

anticipation of a future threat; a stress response created by thoughts

what are common physical/behavioural features of anxiety?

Muscle tension, vigilance, cautious/avoidant behavior, chronic worry.

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Excessive anxiety & worry occurring more days than not for at least 6 months.

What symptoms are required for a GAD diagnosis?

Difficulty controlling worry + 3 or more of: restlessness, fatigue, concentration difficulty, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance.

What criteria must be met for GAD besides symptoms?

Clinically significant distress/impairment; not due to substances/other conditions; not better explained by another disorder.

What are common maladaptive beliefs linked to GAD?

Catastrophising, intolerance of uncertainty, overestimation of threat, perfectionism, need for control, safety behaviors, excessive responsibility, negative beliefs about worry.

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Fear/anxiety about social situations where one may be scrutinized by others for 6+ months.

What do individuals with Social Anxiety typically fear?

Acting in a way that will show anxiety and lead to negative evaluation.

How do social situations typically affect someone with Social Anxiety?

They provoke fear/anxiety out of proportion to the threat; situations avoided or endured with intense fear.

What is Health Anxiety?

Chronic worry about health, frequent checking for illness signs, and avoidance of illness-related cues

What is diagnostic overshadowing (in Health Anxiety)?

Real physical symptoms may be dismissed as anxiety, risking missed diagnoses.

What is fear?

Emotional response to a real or perceived imminent threat (immediate danger).

What physiological responses accompany fear?

Autonomic surge: fight/flight response, rapid heart rate, tense muscles, pupil dilation.

What is evolutionary preparedness?

Biological predisposition to fear certain threats; fight/flight/freeze response.

What brain structure mediates fear?

Amygdala

What is the “Low Road” fear pathway?

Eyes → thalamus → amygdala; fast, unconscious processing of threat.

What is the “High Road” fear pathway?

Eyes → thalamus → cortex → amygdala; slower, conscious evaluation of threat.

What is avoidance in anxiety disorders?

Avoiding feared situations to reduce arousal, which reinforces fear → creates an avoidance loop.

What is Classical Conditioning?

Learning by pairing a stimulus with a response (e.g., Pavlov’s dogs; Little Albert).

What concepts are associated with Classical Conditioning?

Generalization, extinction, spontaneous recovery.

What is Operant Conditioning?

Behavior influenced by reinforcement (positive or negative).

What are Specific Phobias?

Disproportionate fear of a specific object/situation, recognized as excessive, and impairing.

What causes Specific Phobias?

Vicarious conditioning, peer/parent modeling, media influence, evolutionary preparedness.

What is vicarious conditioning?

Learning fear through observing others (transgenerational or peer-based).

What is systematic desensitization?

Gradual exposure + coping strategies to unlearn avoidance.

What is flooding therapy?

Immediate intense exposure to the phobic stimulus in hopes of rapid extinction.

What is Exposure Therapy?

Most common treatment: assessment, creating a fear hierarchy, gradual exposure.