Module 9 Practical Treatment: Anxiety

Flashcards related to anxiety disorders, their treatment, and related concepts

Normal Anxiety

Characterised by a linear process where some event/trigger results in a percieved threat, then an anxiety response, dealt with through a successful coping mechanism, and finally the resolution of anxiety

Pathological Anxiety

A circular process whereby maladaptive responses maintain the anxiety

Safety seeking behaviours

Prevent the individual from learning that danger is overestimated

Emotional reasoning

Believing if you feel it, it must be true

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Fear or anxiety regarding separation from attachment figures that is developmentally inappropriate / excessive.

Specific Phobia

Fear or anxiety regarding circumscribed objects or situations.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety regarding social interactions and situations that involve the possibility of being scrutinised.

Panic Disorder

Recurrent unexpected panic attacks with persistent concern of more panic attacks.

Panic attack

An abrupt surge of intense fear/ discomfort that reaches its peak within minutes

Agoraphobia

Fear and anxiety in many different situations because of thoughts that escape would be difficult.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Persistent and excessive anxiety and worry about various domains.

Type 1 worry

Worry about noncognitive events

Type 2 worry

Worry about ones own thought processes – worry about worry

Behavioural treatments for GAD

Focus on symptom control via relaxation methods

Psychoeducation for anxiety disorders

Focus on the metaworry and negative and positive beliefs about worry that drive worry

Wells Model of GAD

Emphasises type 1 and type 2 worry in maintaining anxiety

Dugas Model of GAD

Emphasises intolerance of uncertainty in maintaining anxiety

Retrospective mismatch

Ask the client to describe in detail their last anticipated worry and what they expected to happen, then describe what actually happened

Prospective mismatch

Ask the client to detail an upcoming event they’re worried about and as homework: contrast what did happen in the situation and what they expected

Mindfulness

Emphasises being present in the moment and aware of what is happening within and outside the self moment-to-monent

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)

Addresses how anxiety readies our muscles for fight or flight by teaching the difference between tense and relaxed states

Exposure Therapy (ET)

Facing the fear, based on the principle of habituation to fear when combined with response prevention

Response prevention

Client resists escape, safety seeking, neutralising behaviours, or compulsions after being exposed to their fear

dissonance techniques

alert the client to their positive and negative beliefs about worry (ie the cognitive dissonance)