Module 66

Anxiety Disorders Overview
  • Anxiety disorders are psychological conditions characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety.
Social Anxiety Disorder
  • Defined by intense fear and avoidance of social situations where judgment is anticipated.
  • Common scenarios include:
    • Parties
    • Class presentations
    • Eating in public
  • Symptoms include:
    • Physical effects such as sweating and trembling
    • Avoidance of social settings, which is a maladaptive coping mechanism
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • Individuals experience constant tension and apprehension.
  • Characterized by persistent automatic nervous system arousal.
Panic Disorder
  • Marked by unpredictable episodes of intense dread lasting minutes.
  • Symptoms include:
    • Terror
    • Chest pain
    • Choking sensations
  • Individuals worry about potential future panic attacks.
Agoraphobia
  • Defined as fear or avoidance of situations where one might lose control and experience panic, including:
    • Crowds
    • Open spaces
Phobias
  • An anxiety disorder defined by persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation.
  • Common target fears include:
    • Animals
    • Insects
    • Heights
    • Blood
    • Closed spaces
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or ritualistic behaviors (compulsions).
  • Obsessive thoughts are intrusive and distressing.
  • Compulsive behaviors are often attempts to mitigate the anxiety caused by these obsessions.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Symptoms include:
    • Haunting memories and nightmares
    • Hypervigilance
    • Social withdrawal
    • Jumpy anxiety and feelings of numbness
    • Insomnia
  • Symptoms persist for at least four weeks post-trauma.
  • Commonly diagnosed in veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
  • Treatment techniques include:
    • Deep breathing exercises
    • Massage therapy
    • Group and individual discussions for recovery from PTSD or traumatic brain injury (TBI).