Anxiety and Obssessive-Compulsive Disorders

normal anxiety

psychological and physiological responses to stress

anxiety becomes pathological when...

it increases in duration and severity, is disproportionate to real event, is in absence of precipitating event

phobic disorders

persistent, excessive, and irrational fears and avoidances of events, objects, and situations

specific phobias

fear of particular objects

5 categories of specific phobias

animals, blood/injection/risks, situations, environments, others

social phobia

the fear of other people (higher in women)

etiology of phobic disorders

temperament, preparedness theory, conditioning

panic disorders

sudden attacks of multiple physiological/psychological responses that produce feeling of terror

symptoms of panic attacks

sweating, shaking, heart palpitations, rapid breathing, depersonalization, derealization, feeling you are going crazy or dying

depersonalization

feeling that you aren't real

derealization

feeling that world isn't real

agoraphobia

fear of crowded spaces that you can't get out of

how are panic disorders diagnosed?

recurrence of panic attacks, fear/dread of future attacks

etiology and dispositions of panic attacks

heritability, sodium lactate, high vigilance and anxiety

generalized anxiety disorder

chronic, excessive, anxiety without a precipitating event

how is GAD diagnosed?

presence of at least 3 symptoms

symptoms of GAD

restlessness, irritability, muscle tensions, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, sleep disturbances

etiology of GAD

neurotransmitter GABA, genetic predisposition to anxiety, stressful life events

psychological causal component for anxiety

coping skills, personality, intellectual functioning

biological causal component for anxiety

genetic heritability, presence of neurotransmitters, sensitivity to chemicals

situational causal component for anxiety

social learning, negative life events

how is OCD separate from anxiety?

presence of different neurocircuitry involved

2 components of OCD

obsessions and compulsions

obssessions

recurrent, intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts that produce feelings of anxiety

compulsions

ritualistic behavior that is designed to fend off obsessions and reduce anxiety

most common obssessions and compulsions

checking, contamination, moral concerns, ordering

prevalence of OCD

overall population occurrence: 28%, diagnosable rates: 2%

etiology of OCD

genetic heritability, preparedness theory, brain circuitry involved with habitualistic behavior

preparedness theory

we develop fears as a mean of survival