abnormal psych reading notes exam 2

anxiety

negative mood state characterized by bodily symptoms of physical tension and apprehension about the future

fear

immediate alarm reaction to danger

panic

sudden overwhelming fright/terror

attack

abrupt experience of intense fear or discomfort accompanied by physical symptoms

biological causes of anxiety

-inheirt tendency to be uptight, tense, and anxious

-collection of genes that make us vulnerable when the right psychological and social factors are in place

-depleted levels of GABA

-behavioral inhibition system

-fight/flight system

behavioral inhibition system

activated by signals in brain that freeze and cause anxiety in threatening situations

fight/flight system

when stimulated, causes immediate alarm + escape response

psychological causes of anxiety

-parenting techniques

-responding fearfully to anxiety symptoms

-conditioning + stimuli

social causes of anxiety

-marriage/divorce

-work

-death

-school

-injury/illness

what is the most common comorbidity with anxiety?

depression

generalized anxiety disorder

intense, uncontrollable, chronic and continous worry that is disstressive and unproductive, accompained by physical symptoms

facts about GAD

-most common anxiety disorder

-onsets early in life and grows gradually

-prevelant among older adults and women

-worrying excessively about minor things

-3.1% of population meet criteria for GAD

-5.7% meet criteria at some point in their life

causes of GAD

-inheirted tendency to become anxious

muscle tension and agitation, chronically tense

-significant stress make individuals apprehensive and vigilant

treatment for GAD

most common: benzodiazepines

-short term relief

-can impair cognition and motor functioning

-dependency

cognitive behavior therapy

panic disorder

experiencing severe and unexpected panic attacks which they may think they’re dying or losing control

facts of panic disorder

-2.7% of population meet criteria for PD

-onset occurs early in life mid-teens through 40

-most are women

-asian and african countries are the least common

agoraphobia

fear of avoidance of situations in which a person feels unsafe or unable to get home in the event of a developing panic and/or symptoms

criteria for agoraphobia

experience an unexpected panic attack and develop substantial anxiety over the possibility of having another one

nocturnal panic

-60% of people with PD have experienced nocturnal attacks

-occur during sleep: during delta wave or slow wave sleep

treatment for PD

-SSRI’s and SNRI’s

-benzodiazepines/xanax

-exposure to feared situations

-panic control treatment

panic contorl treatment

exposing patients with PD to sensations that remind them of their attacks

social anxiety disorder (social phobia)

extreme, enduring, irrational fear and avoidance of social or performance situations

criteria for social phobia

-must have learned growing up that social evaluation is dangerous

-under stress; having a panic attack in social situation is dangerous

-inheriting a biological and psychological vulnverability: stressful events are uncontrollable

treatment for social phobia

cognitive behavior therapy

interpersonal psychotherapy

SSRI’s

selective mutism

rare childhood disorder characterized by lack of speech in one or more settings in which speaking is socially acceptable