Chapters 5 and 6

What is the difference between fear and anxiety?

Fear = response to a serious, immediate threat; Anxiety = response to a vague or future threat.

What percentage of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder each year?

About 19%.

DSM-5-TR criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

≥6 months of uncontrollable worry, ≥3 symptoms (edginess, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, sleep problems), distress/impairment.

What neurotransmitter is most linked to GAD?

GABA (low activity).

Name two key cognitive-behavioral explanations of GAD.

Metacognitive theory and intolerance of uncertainty.

What ratio of women to men experience GAD?

About 2:1.

What is “free-floating anxiety”?

Anxiety that is not tied to any specific threat or situation.

Who developed systematic desensitization for phobias?

Joseph Wolpe.

What is “preparedness” theory?

Humans are biologically predisposed to develop certain fears (e.g., snakes, heights).

What are the main treatments for specific phobias?

Exposure therapies (systematic desensitization, flooding, modeling, virtual reality).

What is the key fear in agoraphobia?

Being in places where escape might be difficult.

DSM-5-TR checklist for Social Anxiety Disorder?

Persistent fear of social scrutiny ≥6 months, fear of negative evaluation, avoidance, distress/impairment.

What two problems do treatments for social anxiety disorder address?

Overwhelming social fears and lack of social skills.

What are common features of panic attacks?

Sudden panic, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, feelings of unreality.

What brain structures are involved in the panic circuit?

Amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, locus coeruleus.

What are effective treatments for panic disorder?

CBT and antidepressants (norepinephrine-regulating).

What are obsessions vs. compulsions?

Obsessions = intrusive thoughts; Compulsions = repetitive behaviors to reduce anxiety.

Name two common themes of obsessions.

Contamination and orderliness (also aggression, religion, sexuality).

Which brain circuit is overactive in OCD?

Cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit.

What therapy pairs exposure with prevention of rituals?

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).

How effective are serotonin-enhancing antidepressants for OCD?

Reduce symptoms in 50–60% of cases.

Name two OCD-related disorders in DSM-5-TR.

Hoarding disorder and trichotillomania.

What are the two parts of the stress response system?

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis.

How does Acute Stress Disorder differ from PTSD?

ASD = lasts

What are the four symptom clusters of PTSD?

Reexperiencing, Avoidance, Negative mood/cognition, Arousal/reactivity.

What percentage of the U.S. population experiences PTSD annually?

Around 3.5–6%.

Name common triggers for PTSD.

Combat, disasters, accidents, assault, sexual violence, torture.

What childhood experiences increase risk for PTSD?

Abuse, neglect, family conflict, poverty.

What new DSM-5-TR disorder involves persistent grief after a year?

Prolonged Grief Disorder.

What are the main biological factors in PTSD?

Overactive stress circuits and inherited predisposition.

What is the most effective therapy combination for PTSD?

CBT (exposure-based) + antidepressants.

What does EMDR stand for?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

What are two examples of early PTSD prevention?

Psychological First Aid (PFA) and community debriefing.

What defines dissociative disorders?

Disruptions in memory, identity, or perception, often following trauma.

Four types of dissociative amnesia?

Localized, Selective, Generalized, Continuous.

What is a dissociative fugue?

Sudden travel away with memory loss and possible identity change.

Main features of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)?

Two or more distinct personalities, memory gaps, triggered by stress.

What percentage of DID cases are female?

Women are diagnosed about three times more often than men.

What is state-dependent learning?

Memory is best recalled in the same emotional or physiological state in which it was learned.

What is self-hypnosis theory for dissociative disorders?

People mentally separate from trauma by hypnotizing themselves.

What are treatments for DID?

Help clients recognize the disorder, recover memories, and integrate personalities (“fusion”).

What’s the key symptom of depersonalization-derealization disorder?

Feeling detached from one’s body or surroundings.