Chapter 5: Triple vulnerability Theory, Comobidity

What is Yerkes-Dodson Law Bell Curve?

What are contributions to Anxiety Disorders?

● Can inherit tendency to respond with anxiety or panic to stress

● High anxiety states associated with low GABA levels

● Behavioral inhibition system: brain circuit leading from limbic system near hippocampus to prefrontal cortex

○ Activated when brainstem notifies circuit of unexpected events that might be dangerous

○ We tend to experience anxiety or “freezing” response when activated

● Fight/flight system: brain circuit originating in brain stem and traveling through limbic structures (amygdala, hypothalamus)

○ Activated by low serotonin

○ We tend to experience panic response when activate

What are the psychological Contributions to Anxeity Disorders?

Integrated Model of Anxiety Disorders: Triple Vulnerability Theory?

What is Comorbidity?

co-occurrence of two or more disorders in one person

Most anxiety disorders are comorbid with another

anxiety or mood disorder due to shared vulnerabilities

Most common psychological comorbidity?

major depressive disorder (~50%)

Most common physical illness comorbidities?

thyroid disease, respiratory disease, GI disease, arthritis, migraines, heart disease, and allergies

~17-20% of individuals with comorbid anxiety and depressive disorder experience..?

Suicidal ideation (Wiebenga et al., 2021)

○ 1-3% attempt suicide

How could the triple vulnerability model explain the development of separation anxiety disorder?