Anxiety & OCD Related Disorders

Fear

An immediate alarm reactionnto perceived danger, often leading to physiological responses.

Panic

An overwhelming reaction that can manifest as a panic attack, characterized by intense fear and physical symptoms that peak within minutes.

Panic Attack

An abrupt experience of intense fear or discomfort, requiring at least four symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, or dizziness.

Phobia

An irrational fear that leads to avoidance behavior and significant impairment in functioning.

Anxiety Sensitivity

A trait-like belief that certain bodily sensations may have harmful consequences, contributing to anxiety disorders.

Cognitive Components

Subjective feelings of fear, such as thoughts of impending doom or death.

Physiological Components

Physical symptoms including increased heart rate, heavy breathing, and sweating.

Behavioral Components

The urge to escape or flee from the perceived threat, often leading to avoidance behaviors.

Panic Disorder

Recurrent panic attacks that usually occurs in early adult life—from midteens through about 40 years of age.

Cued/ Expected

Triggered by a specific situation

Uncued/ Unexpected

Occurred unexpectedly without a warning

Agoraphobia

Fear of situations where escape might be difficult, often leading to avoidance of public spaces, with a higher prevalence in women (75%).

Duration of Panic Disorder & Agoraphobia

Symptoms must persist for at least 6 months to meet diagnostic criteria.

Specific Phobia

An irrational fear of a specific object or situation that significantly interferes with daily functioning.

Specific Phobia Specifiers

• Animal

• Natural Environment

• Blood-Injection-Injury

• Situational

Separation Anxiety

Unrealistic and persistent worry that something will happen to their parents or other important people in their life.

Child Separation Anxiety

At least 3 symptoms lasting at least 4 weeks

Adult Separation Anxiety

At least 3 symptoms lasting about 6 months

Selective Mutism

An anxiety disorder in children characterized by an inability to speak in certain social situations, despite being able to communicate freely in familiar settings.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Marked fear of social situations where scrutiny may occur, often leading to avoidance or intense anxiety, lasting for 6 months or more.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Characterized by free-floating anxiety and worry about various potential threats, with 3 symptoms (1 for children) persisting for at least 6 months.

Classical Conditioning

The association of a neutral stimulus with a negative experience, can create phobias and panic responses.

Operant Conditioning

Avoidance and escape behaviors, can reinforce and strengthen anxiety symptoms over time.

Psychoanalytic View

Anxiety is viewed as a complex emotion stemming from unconscious conflicts and unresolved childhood experiences.

Exposure Therapy

It is a form of cognitive behavior therapy for long enough periods of time. It is highly effective when administered in a long single session.

Imaginal Exposure

This exposure therapy utilizes vivid imagery and mental rehearsal to confront the feared stimulus.

In Vivo Exposure

This exposure therapy technique involves directly confronting the feared object, situation, or activity in real life

Obsessions

Intrusive thoughts or images that cause significant anxiety, which individuals attempt to resist or eliminate.

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviors performed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions, often leading to a cycle of reinforcement.

OCD

It extends beyond everyday worries, often involving unrealistic fears with a perceived magical quality.

Anxiety Disorders

Typically involve real-life concerns and may include catastrophizing about potential dangers.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Characterized by a preoccupation with perceived flaws in appearance, leading to compulsive behaviors like mirror checking.

Hoarding Disorder

Involves persistent difficulty discarding possessions, often due to a perceived need to save items, leading to significant distress.

Trichotillomania

Recurrent pulling out of hair, often associated with emotional states and resulting in shame or embarrassment.

Excoriation Disorder

Involves recurrent skin picking, with a high prevalence among females, and attempts to stop the behavior often failing.