Anxiety and OCD Related Disorders - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, definitions, and concepts related to anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive related disorders as presented in the lecture notes.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Excessive or ongoing worry or anxiety in 2+ areas for 6+ months, with impairment, worry that is hard to control, and 3+ physiological symptoms (restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance); not better explained by another disorder.

Specific Phobia

Persistent, unreasonable fear of a specific object, activity, or situation lasting at least 6 months; fear is out of proportion to actual danger; avoidance or distress in the presence of the cue.

Agoraphobia

Fear of situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable; involves multiple fear-provoking situations; avoidance or requires a companion; causes distress/impairment.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Persistent fear of social or performance situations with potential scrutiny and negative evaluation; fear of showing anxiety symptoms; avoidance or distress; significant impairment; often overlaps with shyness.

Panic Disorder

Recurrent panic attacks followed by 1+ month of persistent concern about future attacks or maladaptive changes in behavior related to the attacks.

Panic Attack

A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort with 4+ symptoms (e.g., palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness) occurring suddenly.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Characterized by recurrent obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and/or compulsions (repetitive behaviors) that are distressing, time-consuming, or impair functioning; insight varies; can be tic-related.

Obsessions

Persistent, intrusive thoughts, impulses, or images that cause significant anxiety; the person tries to ignore or neutralize them.

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviors or mental acts aimed at reducing anxiety or preventing distress, often performed according to rigid rules and frequently temporarily relief-seeking.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

Preoccupation with perceived appearance defects; repetitive behaviors or mental acts in response to perceived flaws; impairment/distress; not better explained by another disorder; insight may vary.

Hoarding Disorder

Persistent difficulty discarding possessions, leading to clutter and distress or impairment; may involve excessive acquisition; insight ranges (delusional at times).

Trichotillomania

Recurrent hair pulling resulting in hair loss; repeated attempts to stop; distress/impairment; not due to another medical condition.

Excoriation Disorder

Recurrent skin picking resulting in lesions; attempts to stop; distress/impairment; not attributable to another medical condition.

Fear

Reaction of alarm to a threat to well-being, with physiological and psychological arousal (e.g., increased heart rate, fight-or-flight response).

Anxiety

Body’s response to a vague or potential threat, with physiological and psychological arousal similar to fear, which can be adaptive or maladaptive.

Sociocultural Model (GAD theory)

Proposes higher GAD rates in threatening or stressful environments; SES may negatively correlate with GAD prevalence.

Psychodynamic Theory (GAD)

Attributes GAD to inadequacies in parent–child relationships; treatment historically uses similar techniques as for other problems; short-term effects observed.

Cognitive-Behavioral Theory (GAD)

GAD arises from maladaptive, rigid thinking; includes metacognitive theory where worry about worry has positive and negative beliefs about worry itself.

Intolerance of Uncertainty Theory

Belief that if a negative event is possible, it is likely; pursuit of certainty leads to continual worry in an uncertain world.

Avoidance Theory

Worry serves to distract from uncomfortable bodily sensations; higher arousal prompts worry to avoid dealing with distress.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Therapy that encourages accepting worries, distancing from thoughts, and committing to values-based action; often used for GAD.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for GAD (CBT)

Therapy focusing on changing maladaptive thoughts and behaviors; includes education, worry management, coping skills, and mindfulness approaches.

Biological Perspective (GAD)

Genetics and neurotransmitters implicated (family history; low GABA activity); hyperactive fear circuit involving amygdala, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and insula.

GABA

Inhibitory neurotransmitter whose reduced activity is linked to GAD.

Locus Coeruleus

Brainstem region involved in norepinephrine; linked to arousal and panic-related responses.

Amygdala

Amygdala involvement in fear and threat processing; central to the fear circuit in anxiety disorders.

Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)

Brain region involved in emotion regulation and error monitoring; part of the fear/anxiety circuitry.

Insula

Brain region involved in interoceptive awareness; implicated in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Orbitofrontal Cortex

Front part of the prefrontal cortex involved in decision making and emotion regulation; often discussed in OCD pathology.

ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention)

CBT technique for OCD: repeatedly confronts obsessions/triggering stimuli and is prevented from engaging in compulsions.

Exposure Therapy

Therapy involving repeated exposure to feared stimuli to reduce fear response over time.

Systematic Desensitization

Relaxation training followed by gradual, hierarchical exposure to feared stimulus.

Covert Desensitization

Imaginal exposure to feared stimuli rather than real-life contact.

In Vivo Desensitization

Live, real-world exposure to feared stimuli as part of systematic desensitization.

Flooding

Immediate, prolonged exposure to feared stimulus without relaxation techniques; typically high distress but can be effective.

Modeling

Therapist or peer demonstrates confronting the feared stimulus to encourage imitation.

Virtual Reality Exposure

Use of VR to create controlled exposure scenarios for phobias or anxiety disorders.

Specific Phobia Types

Most common subtypes: animals, natural environment (storms), blood-injection-injury, situational (flying), other (e.g., clowns).

Paruresis

Fear of urinating in public restrooms; a social/communication phobia sometimes associated with social anxiety.

Taijin Kyofusho

Culture-bound social anxiety disorder focusing on fears of offending or embarrassing others in social situations.

Safety Behaviors

Avoidance or ritualized actions intended to prevent feared outcomes and reduce anxiety.

Muscle Dysmorphia

A specifier in body dysmorphic disorder focusing on perceived muscular deficiency; may indicate specific insight levels.

Insight (in OCD/BDD)

Level of awareness that beliefs and behaviors are excessive or unreasonable; can be good, fair, poor, or absent.