Study Guide for Exam 2 - Anxiety and Mood Disorders

Flashcards based on the study guide covering anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and general psychology concepts for exam preparation.

Definition of anxiety

• Definition of fear and distinction of anxiety from fear

• Sympathetic nervous system and anxiety

Diagnosing anxiety disorders

• Out of proportion to perceived threat

• Recognized by the individual seeking treatment to be excessive, unrealistic, or unreasonable

Three components of anxiety

• Physical, cognitive, and behaviorial component

Escape and avoidance behavior

• Escape/avoidance learning and Mowrer’s two-factory theory

• Aqcuisition of anxiety

  • Classical conditioning

• Maintenance of anxiety

  • Operant learning

  • Negative reinforcement

    • Anxiety behaviors are not easily naturally extinguished

Anxiety Disorders

• Topographical features

• DSM-5 and the new breakout diagnostic groups

  • Anxiety Disorders

  • Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders

    • Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorders

A category of mental health disorders characterized by excessive fear, worry, or anxiety. They can disrupt daily functioning and are classified within the DSM-5.

Anxiety Disorders

Specific Phobia

• Basic definition and criteria (not all of DSM critieria)

• Anxiety related to specific kind of situations or objects

• More common in females - Why?

  • Diagnosis only given when?

Social Anxiety Disorder

• Basic definition 

• Separate diagnosis from specific phobia

Explanation of Phobias

• Biological explanation 

  • Preparedness hypothesis and how good this is 

• Psychoanalytic theories

  • Phobias as displaced anxiety

  • Treatments – what type, mechanism of change, and how long they would take 

• Behavioral theories 

  • Treatments – what type, mechanism of change, and how long they would take 

  • Exposure treatments (principles of these)

    • Systematic desensitization 

    • Flooding 

      • Real life exposure (in vivo)

  • Outcome data for exposure therapies

• Symptom substitution

  • What theory is worried about this happening? 

  • What is the empirical evidence for symptom substitution?