Understanding Anxiety and Panic Disorders

These flashcards cover key concepts related to anxiety and panic disorders, differentiating between terms, definitions, symptoms, and neurobiological aspects pertinent to the topics discussed in the lecture.

Anxiety

Worry about potential future threats or events; anticipatory in nature.

Fear

An immediate reaction to something present or imminent in the environment.

Panic Disorder

Characterized by regular experiences of panic attacks for about one month; symptoms include sudden heart racing, pupil dilation, and overwhelming dread.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Marked by constant, non-specific worry, occurring most days for at least six months.

Panic Attack

A sudden episode of intense fear or anxiety accompanied by physical symptoms such as a racing heart or sweating.

Amygdala

A brain region involved in the processing of emotions, particularly fear and panic responses.

Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)

A brain region involved in rational thought and decision making; regulates emotional responses from the amygdala.

COMT Gene

A gene related to dopamine breakdown, which when dysfunctional leads to excess dopamine activity linked to panic disorder.

Somatization

The manifestation of anxiety as physical symptoms, such as muscle pain or gastrointestinal issues.

Anxiolytic

A drug or treatment that reduces anxiety.

Anxiogenic

A stimulus or treatment that produces anxiety.

Cognitive Experiment (White Bear Exercise)

An exercise demonstrating the difficulty of suppressing thoughts, leading to increased intrusive thinking.

Mindfulness Meditation

A coping technique involving the acknowledgment of thoughts without suppression, to manage anxiety.

Dual Diagnosis

The co-occurrence of two disorders; in this context, refers to individuals diagnosed with both GAD and panic disorder.

Chronic Worry

A consistent state of excessive worry often linked to GAD, where individuals believe that worrying will control the outcomes of events.

Sympathetic Nervous System

A part of the autonomic nervous system that triggers the body's fight-or-flight response during fear or panic.

Autonomic Restrictor

An individual with GAD who shows reduced sympathetic nervous system activity and less response to stress.