Anxiety-Related Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

  • Definition: A group of disorders characterized by excessive fear resulting in maladaptive behaviors.

Social Anxiety Disorder

  • Description: Involves intense fear and avoidance of social situations.

    • Physiological responses include:

    • Increased heart rate.

    • Palpitations.

    • Tremors.

    • Blushing.

    • Sweating during presentations, exams, or meetings with authority figures.

    • Fears often stem from concerns about embarrassment or rejection.

    • This anxiety can be classified within fight-or-flight responses.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

  • Description: Not marked by a specific fear, but rather a general state of anxiety.

    • Symptoms include:

    • Feeling continually on edge.

    • Tension.

    • Appetite loss.

    • Free-floating anxiety lasting for six months or more.

    • Characterized by excessive uncontrollable worrying without specific triggers.

    • GAD can often co-occur with depressive moods and physical medical problems.

Specific Phobias

  • Definition: Persistent irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation, leading to avoidance behavior.

    • Examples include:

    • Fear of spiders (arachnophobia).

    • Fear of heights (acrophobia).

    • Fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia).

    • Distinction from GAD: Specific phobia is tied to a particular trigger, unlike the diffuse anxiety in GAD.

Panic Disorder

  • Description: Features sudden, intense dread accompanied by physical symptoms:

    • Rapid heart rate.

    • Trembling or difficulty breathing.

    • Chest pains and sweating.

    • Feelings of choking or being detached from reality.

    • Intense worry about future panic attacks.

  • Diagnosis requires persistent fear of future attacks for at least one month following an initial panic attack.

Differences Between Fears

  • Fear vs. Phobia: Rational fear of a real threat (e.g., angry lion) versus irrational fear of non-threatening stimuli (e.g., spider).

  • Evidence from surveys in Holland indicates the percentage of people associating fears versus specific phobias to various situations and objects.

The Fear Factor TV Show

  • Example: Demonstrates confronting fears through exposure, with individuals placed in fear-inducing scenarios (e.g., boxes filled with cockroaches, virtual heights).

Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Characterized by:

    • Obsessions: Unwanted, intrusive thoughts.

    • Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors or actions in response to obsessive thoughts.

    • Interference with daily life and causing distress is crucial for diagnosing OCD.

  • Prevalence: More common among teens and young adults.

Common Obsessions/Compulsions in OCD

  • Examples include:

    • Fear of germs leading to excessive washing.

    • Fear of disaster, prompting repetitive checking (e.g., stove multiple times).

    • Need for order or symmetry affecting organization of objects (e.g., specific number of items).

Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Description: Symptoms include:

    • Vivid, distressing memories and flashbacks.

    • Nightmares related to the trauma.

    • Hyper-vigilance for potential threats.

    • Symptoms are identifiable and require lasting for at least four weeks to be diagnosed as PTSD.

    • Approximately 5-10% of individuals develop PTSD after traumatic events, but some experience post-traumatic growth.

Influences on PTSD Development

  • Factors Impacting PTSD:

    • Proximity to the traumatic event increases likelihood of developing PTSD.

    • Trauma exposure, personality traits, social support, and stress levels contribute to the risk.

Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

  • Definition: Psychological disorders manifested as physical (somatic) symptoms with no identifiable physical cause.

  • Significant distress and impairment within cultural context characterizes a somatic symptom disorder.

Illness Anxiety Disorder

  • Formerly known as hypochondriasis.

  • Characterized by excessive worry interpreting normal physical sensations as symptoms of serious disease.

Understanding Disorders

Causes of Disorders

  1. Learning: Classical conditioning can lead to associative fears.

    • Example: Fear of spiders may develop after observing a fearful reaction from a parent.

  2. Cognition: Thoughts, memories, and expectations can shape anxiety reactions.

  3. Biology: Stress responses, genetic factors, and neurotransmitter regulation play roles in anxiety disorder symptoms.

    • Key neurotransmitters:

      • Serotonin: Influences mood and anxiety regulation.

      • Glutamate: Heightens activity in the brain's alarm systems.

      • GABA: Calming effect that inhibits arousal.

Biological Perspective

  • Examination of brain activity reveals associations with different anxiety disorders, showing varying responses in the amygdala under stress or fear conditions.

  • Natural Selection: Evolutionary predispositions affect fears and compulsive behaviors we exhibit today.

    • Example: Fear of germs leads to behaviors (e.g., hand washing) that promote survival.