Chapter 6 - Anxiety Disorders

Define anxiety

Feelings of nervousness, concern, apprehension, agitation

Define comorbidity

When an individual has more than one diagnosable illness or disorder concurrently

Anxiety disorders

Category of mental illness involving fear, mostly “irrational” and involves fear of potential future events

Specific phobia 

Most common and diverse form of anxiety disorder, involves fear if specific situations, objects/things, or biological entities 

Examples of specific phobia

acrophobia - fear of heights

claustrophobia - fear of small confined spaces

autophobia - fear of abandonment 

trypophobia - fear of holes 

Physical symptoms of specific phobia

shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, irregular heartbeat 

Psychological symptoms of specific phobia

panic, dread, fear, and anxiety

Avoidance in context of phobias

People with phobias often take steps to monimize their exposure to the feared situation and this can have social or health impacts

Agoraphobia (“non-specific phobia”)

Fear of situations from which one cannot escape and or fear od entrapment

Examples of agoraphobia

Fear of crowds, open spaces, leaving home, unfamiliar environments, being alone 

Symptoms of agoraphobia

Panic attacks, feelings of helplessness, embarrassment

Social anxiety disorder

Fear of being judged negatively or rejected. They avoid situations that trigger the fear like public speaking, meeting people, being focus of attention

Symptoms of social anxiety disorder

shortness of breath, sweating, racing thoughts, palpitations

Panic disorder

Involves recurring panic attacks and can be triggered by stressful situations and contects but may be spontaneous

Symptoms of panic disorder

Fear, discomfort, dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, feelings of suffocation, feelings of losing control

Generalized anxiety disorder

Low-level non-specific worry, no obvious reasion. May be about immediate or future situations 

Psychological symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder

tension, restlessness, problems focusing

Physical symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder

muscle tension, general stress responses

What are the two critiques from a critical social science perspective on anxiety disorder research 

1. Conducted in healthcare settings but many are undiagnosed/untreated therefore “invisible” in research data (may be due to lack of services, stigma, personal choice)

2. Quantitative: not adeqaute to examine complexity/depth of lived experience 

Some ways to improve research on anxiety disorders

• move away from traditional hierarchy of evidence such as RCT, surveys, etc

• appreciate the strengths of qualitative stories 

What is the hierarchy of evidence?

Ranking system used in research to show which typeso of studies provide relaible and trustworthy information 

Critical social science approach on research

• examines broader social and historical contexts 

• addresses shortfalls in health sciences literature by examining lived experiences 

• interdisciplinary approach to understanding anxiety