Varcarolis Chapter 15 Terms

Anxiety

It can be defined as a feeling of apprehension, uneasiness,

uncertainty, or dread resulting from a real or perceived

threat

Fear

is a reaction to a specific danger, whereas anxiety is

a vague sense of dread related to an unspecified or unknown

danger

Mild Anxiety

A person experiencing a mild level of anxiety sees, hears, and

grasps more information, and problem solving becomes more

effective. Physical symptoms may include slight discomfort, restlessness, irritability, or mild tension-relieving behaviors (e.g., nail biting, foot or finger tapping, fidgeting)

Moderate Anxiety

sees, hears, and grasps less information and may

demonstrate selective inattention, in which only certain things

in the environment are seen or heard unless they are pointed out. tension, pounding heart, increased pulse and respiratory rate, perspiration, and mild somatic symptoms (e.g., gastric discomfort, headache, urinary urgency

Severe Anxiety

Somatic symptoms (e.g., headache, nausea, dizziness,

insomnia) often increase; trembling and a pounding heart are

common, and the person may experience hyperventilation and

a sense of impending doom or dread

Panic

is the most extreme level of anxiety and results in markedly

disturbed behavior. Someone in a state of panic is unable

to process what is going on in the environment and may

lose touch with reality. Hallucinations, or false sensory perceptions (e.g., seeing people or objects not really there), may be experienced. Physical behavior may become erratic, uncoordinated, and impulsive

Anxiety Disorders

• Separation Anxiety Disorder

• Panic Disorder

• Agoraphobia

• Specific Phobia

• Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Related Disorders

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• Body Dysmorphic Disorder

• Hoarding Disorder

• Hair Pulling and Skin Picking Disorder

Separation Anxiety Disorder

developmentally inappropriate levels of concern

over being away from a significant other

Panic Disorder

panic attack is the sudden onset of extreme apprehension or fear,

usually associated with feelings of impending doom.

Agoraphobia

is intense, excessive anxiety or fear about being

in places or situations from which escape might be difficult

or embarrassing or in which help might not be available

Social Anxiety Disorder

also called social phobia, is characterized

by severe anxiety or fear provoked by exposure to a social or

a performance situation that could be evaluated negatively

by others.

common specific phobias

Acrophobia=Heights

Agoraphobia=Open spaces

Astraphobia=Electrical storms

Claustrophobia=Closed spaces

Glossophobia=Talking

Hematophobia=Blood

Hydrophobia=Water

Monophobia=Being alone

Mysophobia=Germs or dirt

Nyctophobia=Darkness

Pyrophobia=Fire

Xenophobia=Strangers

Zoophobia=Animals

Generalized anxiety disorder

excessive worry, persons with generalized

anxiety disorder anticipate disaster and are restless, irritable,

and experience muscle tension

Obsessions

are defined as thoughts, impulses, or images that persist and

recur, so that they cannot be dismissed from the mind even

though the individual attempts to do so

Compulsions

are ritualistic behaviors an individual feels

driven to perform in an attempt to reduce anxiety or prevent an imagined calamity.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

symptoms that occur on a daily basis

and may involve issues of sexuality, violence, contamination,

illness, or death. Pathological obsessions or compulsions

cause marked distress to individuals, who often feel humiliation

and shame regarding these behaviors

Body dysmorphoc disorder

Although

patients usually have a normal appearance, their preoccupation

with an imagined defective body part results in obsessional

thinking and compulsive behavior, such as mirror checking and

camouflaging

Hoarding disorder

the accumulation of belongings that may have little or no value is an obsession that prevents some people from leading normal lives

Trichotillomania

hair pulling disorder

dermotillomania

skin picking disorder

Psychodynamic theory

the development of anxiety disorders suggest that unconscious childhood conflicts are the basis for future symptom development.

Behavioral theory

suggest that anxiety is a learned response to specific environmental stimuli

Cognitive theory

believe that anxiety disorders are caused by distortions in an individual's thoughts and perceptions

Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

measures the severity of compulsive behavior

The hoarding scale self report

measures hoarding

The Fear Questionnaire

measures phobias

Panic Disorder Severity Scale

measures panic symptoms

Hamilton Rating Scale

popular tool for measuring anxiety

Cognitive therapy: Cognitive restructuring

the therapist helps the patient

(1) identify automatic negative beliefs that cause anxiety,

(2) explore the basis for these thoughts(3) reevaluate the

situation realistically, and (4) replace negative self-talk with

supportive ideas.

Behavioral Therapy: Modeling

The therapist or significant other acts as a role

model to demonstrate appropriate behavior in a feared

situation, and then the patient imitates it. For

example, the role model rides in an elevator with a claustrophobic

patient.

Behavioral therapy: Systematic desensitization

The patient is gradually introduced

to a feared object or experience through a series of

steps, from the least frightening to the most frightening

(graduated exposure). The patient is taught to use a relaxation

technique at each step when anxiety becomes overwhelming.

Behavioral therapy: Flooding

this method

exposes the patient to a large amount of an undesirable

stimulus in an effort to extinguish the anxiety response. The

patient learns through prolonged exposure that survival is

possible and that anxiety diminishes spontaneously

Behavioral therapy: Response prevention

This method is used for compulsive

behavior. The therapist does not allow the patient to perform

the compulsive ritual (e.g., hand washing), and the

patient learns that anxiety does subside even when the

ritual is not completed.

Behavioral therapy: thought stopping

Through this technique a negative

thought or obsession is interrupted. The patient may be instructed

to say "Stop!" out loud when the idea comes to

mind or to snap a rubber band worn on the wrist.