(Unit 3) Chapter 15: Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

What is anxiety?

it is a feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, uncertainty, or dread resulting from a real or perceived threat

What is mild anxiety?

it occurs in the normal experience of everyday living and allows an individual to perceive reality in sharp focus

What are some behavioral examples and symptoms of mild anxiety?

• slight discomfort

• restlessness

• irritability

• mild tension-relieving behaviors (nail biting, foot or finger tapping, fidgeting)

What is moderate anxiety?

it is when a person sees, hears, and grasps less information and may demonstrate selective inattention, where only certain things in the environment are seen or heard unless they are pointed out

• ability to think clearly is hampered, but learning and problem solving can still take place

What is severe anxiety?

it is a person may focus on one particular detail or on many scattered details and have difficulty noticing what is going on in the environment, even when another person points it out

What is panic?

it is the most extreme level of anxiety and results in markedly dysregulated behavior

• person is unable to process what is going on in the environment and may lose touch with reality

What are some behavioral examples of panic?

• pacing

• running

• shouting

• screaming

• withdrawal

What are defense mechanisms?

they are automatic coping styles that protect people from anxiety and enable them to maintain their self-image by blocking feelings, conflicts, and memories

What is agoraphobia?

it is an intense excessive anxiety or fear about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing or which help might not be available

What are obsessions?

they are thoughts, impulses, or images that persist or recur so that they cannot be dismissed from the mind even though the individual attempts to do so

What are compulsions?

they are ritualistic behaviors individuals feel driven to perform in an attempt to reduce anxiety or prevent an imagined calamity