Basics and Anxiety Disorders

Psychological Disorders

A syndrome (a collection of symptoms) marked by a clinically significant disturbance in a person’s cognitions (thoughts), emotional regulation (feelings), or behavior.

What makes a behavior abnormal?

Distressful and dysfunctional

Distressful Behavior

The person’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors causes personal distress to themselves or others. This includes being a danger to themselves (self-harm, risky behaviors, suicidal, etc.) or others

Dysfunctional Behavior

The person’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors impair their functioning, such as social relationships, job, school work, hygiene, sleeping, eating, driving, housework, etc.

DSM-5

Standard system used in the U.S. to diagnose and classify abnormal behavior.

Three influences on psychological disorders

Biological, psychological, and social-cultural influences (Biopsychosocial approach)

What group experiences the highest successful suicide rate?

• Age: 75+

• Male

• Native American, white, and overall U.S.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)

includes cutting, burning, hitting oneself, inserting objects under nails or skin, and more. These self-injuries are painful but not fatal.

Why do people engage in NSSI?

• gain relief from intense negative thoughts through the distraction of pain

• ask for help and gain attention for emotional pain

• relieve guilt by self-punishment

• get others to change their negative behavior (bullying, criticism)

• fit in with a peer group

Anxiety disorders

are marked by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety; include:

Generalized anxiety disorder

Panic disorder

Specific Phobia

Generalized anxiety disorder

• Worry continually, often jittery, on edge, and sleep deprived

• Lack of concentration on a task

• Two-thirds women

• Anxiety is free-floating (not linked to a specific stressor or threat)

• Often seen with depression, but usually debilitating even on its own

• May lead to physical problems (high blood pressure

Panic Disorder

An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations. Often followed by worry over a possible next attack.

Panic attack

Sudden episodes of intense dread (Irregular heartbeat, chest pains, shortness of breath, choking, trembling, dizziness)

Agoraphobia

Fear or avoidance of public situations from which escape may be difficult (should a panic attack occur).

Phobia

a persistent and irrational fear and avoidance of some object, activity, or situation.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Characterized by persistent and repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both

Obsessions vs Compulsions

Repetitive thoughts vs actions

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Is characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia lingering for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience.

Somatic symptom disorder

Symptoms (often stress-related) take a somatic form without apparent physical cause (dizziness, tingling, numbness, blurred vision, etc.)

Illness anxiety disorder

Person interprets normal sensations as symptoms of dreaded disease