Anxiety Disorders PSYC321

Anxiety

A disorder that is often a response to threat where the body is in a consistent state of stress

Anxiety Biology

Amygdala activated and sends distressed signal → hypothalamus as a command centre → communicates with the nervous system → symptoms

Sympathetic Symptoms

• Sweating

• Nausea

• Shaking

• Heart palpitations

• Dizzy

• Shortness of breath

• Muscle tension

Biological Factors

• Genetics (not always the same disorder as parents)

• Childhood experiences → change in neural functioning

Environmental Factors

Parents:

• Anxious, controlling, protecting, avoidant coping

History of:

• Low SES, instability, domestic violence, trauma

Personality Traits

• Neuroticism

• Anxiety sensitivity

• Behavioural inhibitions

• Harm avoidance

Prolonging Factors of Anxiety

• Cognitive distortions

• Beliefs

• Hypervigilance

• Modelling

• Relationships

• Culture

CBT Elements

• Psychoeducation

• Problem solving / time management / goal setting

• Relaxation strategies

• Cognitive strategies

• Behavioural techniques

Social Anxiety

• Marked fear of anxiety

• Consistency of fear

• Negative evaluations

• Out of proportion

Social Anxiety Mechanisms

• Safety behaviours

• Ruminating on social performance

• Hypervigilance to own performance

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• Excessive anxiety/worry

• Physical symptoms

• Difficult to control

• Distress/impairment

GAD Mechanisms

• Belief that worry is helpful

• Meta-worry

Panic Disorder

• Recurrent panic attacks

• Concern about panic attacks

• Behaviour change

Panic Attacks

An abrupt surge of intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes where you experience a range of sympathetic symptoms