Lecture 15: Psychological and Anxiety Disorders

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the onset, prognosis, etiology, and specifics of psychological disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Phobic Disorders, and Panic Disorder as outlined in Lecture 15.

Onset

The chronological age or situational period when the symptoms of a disorder first appear in an individual.

Major depressive disorders (Diagnosis Age)

Typically diagnosed in the $20's$.

Prognosis

The likely course (trajectory, development) of a disorder, including expectations regarding remission.

Risk Factors

A set of biological, psychological, and social characteristics that increase the likelihood of having the disorder.

Etiology

The biological, psychological and/or social causes of a disorder.

Commorbidities

Other psychological or physical disorders that frequent appear with the disorder in question.

DSM-5

A tool used to diagnose psychological disorders and ensure that there is consistency.

Psychological Disorders

Patterns of deviant and dysfunction behaviours, thoughts or feelings that cause significant distress, may be dangerous, and last for a specific amount of time.

Common DSM Diagnostic Criteria

1. Causes significant distress/affects functioning; 2. Cannot be attributed to substance use or other medical conditions; 3. Cannot be better described by another DSM diagnosis.

Anxiety Disorders

A group of disorders marked by excessive fear and anxiety; the most common disorder in America & Canada.

Anxiety

Fear of the future.

Maladaptive anxiety

Anxiety that interferes with normal functioning and decreases our fitness for survival.

Anxiety Disorder Prevalence (Canada)

$1/4$ Canadians experience an anxiety disorder.

Gender Prevalence in Anxiety

Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with anxiety.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

An anxiety disorder in which worries aren't focused on any specific threat, and individuals feel anxious even with no threat.

Prefrontal cortex (in GAD)

An area particularly active in GAD patients, working harder to control incoming danger signals from the amygdala.

GAD Diagnostic Duration

Excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not for at least $6$ months, about more than one event/stressor.

Symptoms of GAD

Includes restlessness, fatigue, concentration deficiency, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance.

GAD Diagnosis Age

Rarely occurs prior to adolescence; the median age for diagnosis is age $30$.

Phobic Disorders

Disorders characterized by marked, persistent, excessive fear of specific objects, activities or situations.

Social phobia

A maladaptive fear of being publicly humiliated or embarrassed, with a $13\%$ prevalence.

Preparedness Theory

The hypothesis that we may be evolutionarily adapted to fear certain types of stimulus, such as snakes rather than flowers.

Panic Disorder

Sudden occurrence of multiple psychological and physical symptoms typically associated with terror, such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and dizziness.

Panic Attack Prevalence (Canada)

$1/3$ of Canadians experience a panic attack once or more per year, typically during extreme stress.

Derealization

A psychological symptom typically associated with terror during panic disorder episodes.