Anxiety Disorders and Emotional Disturbances

Comprehensive practice questions covering anxiety disorders, PTSD, OCD, APD, and modern diagnostic theories as presented in the lecture.

How do people with damage to the amygdala react to unknown or novel situations according to Harrison et al (2015)?

They show a strong approach tendency and hardly any avoidance tendency.

What characterizes Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?

Almost constant nervousness and worry about health, finances, job, and minor matters.

Why do most individuals with GAD qualify for additional diagnoses according to Bruce et al (2001)?

Anxiety is a symptom of many other disorders.

What physical symptoms are associated with panic disorder?

Repeated attacks of panic, sharply increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, trembling, and chest pains.

How is agoraphobia defined in relation to panic disorder?

The excessive avoidance of public situations where a panic attack might be embarrassing.

What is the defining feature of a specific phobia?

The fear is exaggerated and interferes with someone’s life, rather than being unrealistic.

According to Ohman (2009), what may be a biological cause for phobias of snakes, spiders, or lightning?

People may be born with a predisposition to fear them.

How is Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) defined regarding environment changes?

Failing to readjust anxiety levels after moving from a stressful environment to a safe environment.

Which behavioral mechanism links PTSD to neutral stimuli like sounds and smells?

Fear conditioning, where neutral cues become associated with earlier trauma.

Who conducted the classic study on fear conditioning known as 'Little Albert'?

Watson & Rayner (1920).

Which neurotransmitter do researchers focus on for its influence on the amygdala and anxiety disorders?

Serotonin.

What traits are associated with the short form of the serotonin-regulating gene?

Increased responses to threat, increased attention to threatening stimuli, and greater amygdala responses to angry or fearful expressions.

What is epigenetics in the context of anxiety disorders?

Differences in the expression of genes elicited by environmental conditions rather than inherited differences in the genes themselves.

What are the core focuses of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety?

Reinterpreting or reappraising situations, solving problems, and relaxation.

What is exposure therapy, or systematic desensitization?

Gradual exposure to the feared object or situation until the body begins to relax and confidence is gained.

What is the biochemical class of drugs commonly known as tranquilizers or anxiolytics?

Benzodiazepines.

Why did the DSM-5 separate Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) from anxiety disorders?

Anxiety is usually not a prominent symptom, and neither is depression in most cases.

What is the difference between obsessions and compulsions in OCD?

Obsessions are recurrent, intrusive thoughts causing distress; compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed in response to those thoughts.

What characterizes the emotional profile of someone with Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)?

Insufficient emotion, lack of guilt or remorse, and lack of tendency to imitate sad or frightened faces.

Which brain regions show relatively little response in people with APD when seeing someone suffer?

The amygdala and prefrontal cortex.

What emotional symptoms are found in individuals with borderline personality disorder?

Extreme emotional volatility, impulsivity, and poor emotion regulation skills.

How does emotional expression differ from subjective emotional experience in schizophrenia?

They often show flat affect (low expression) but report normal levels of subjective emotional experience.

What shift in diagnostic approach did Insel et al. (2010) propose?

Moving from categories to continuous dimensions (degrees of symptoms) to describe psychopathology.