Download Causes of Anxiety Disorders

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ANXIETY DISORDERS
Anxiety:
o Anxiety is an
emotional state characterized by
feelings of tension, apprehension, and worry
o Puts us on physical alert, preparing us to defensively “
” or
“
” potential dangers,
o Also puts us on mental alert, making us focus our attention squarely on the
situation
arousal and
Anxiety Disorders:
o In the anxiety disorders, the anxiety is maladaptive, disrupting
moods, and
processes
activities,
Three features distinguish normal anxiety from pathological anxiety. Pathological anxiety is:
1.
—it is provoked by perceived threats that are exaggerated or nonexistent,
and the anxiety response is out of proportion to the actual importance of the situation.
2.
—the alarm reaction cannot be shut off even when the person knows it’s
unrealistic.
3.
—it interferes with relationships, job or academic performance, or
everyday activities
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
o An anxiety disorder characterized by disruptive levels of
feelings of apprehension and tenseness
o More or less constant worry about many issues
o The worry seriously
with functioning
o Physical symptoms include:
–
-–
--
,
Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety:
Must have at least
of the following:
–Restlessness
–Feeling on edge
–Difficulty concentrating/mind going blank
–Irritability
–Muscle Tension
–Sleep Disturbance
Model of Development of GAD:
o GAD has some
component
o Related genetically to major
o Childhood
also related to GAD
Panic Disorder:
o An anxiety disorder characterized by
unexplained panic
bouts of
,
o Panic attacks may happen
times a day
o Panic attacks—sudden episode of helpless terror with high physiological arousal
o Very frightening—sufferers live in
of having them
o
often develops as a result
Cognitive-behavioral Theory of Panic Disorder:
o Sufferers tend to misinterpret the physical signs of
as
and dangerous
o This interpretation leads to further physical arousal, tending toward a vicious
o After their first panic attack, they become even more
to physical
changes, increasing the
of future panic attacks
Phobia:
An anxiety disorder characterized by
,
fears of specific
objects or situations
The fear must be both
and
.
About
percent of the general population will experience a specific phobia at some point
in their lives.
Phobias:
o Generally, the objects or situations that produce specific phobias tend to fall into four
categories
1.
—heights, water, lightening
2.
—flying, tunnels, crowds, social gathering
3.
—needles, blood, dentist, doctor
4.
—insects, snakes, bats, dogs
o It is not phobic to simply be
about something
Social Phobias:
o Social phobias—fear of failing or being embarrassed in
–public
(stage fright)
–fear of
, strangers
–meeting
people
–
in public
o Considered phobic if these fears interfere with
o
found in males and females
Agoraphobia:
o Fear of situations the person views as difficult to
o Fear of leaving one’s
or
behavior
from
in the house
Learning Factors in the Development of Phobias:
o
conditioning may be involved in the development of a specific
phobia that can be traced back to some sort of
event.
o People with phobias may have developed a conditioned
of fear to a
conditioned
Problems with this theory:
o often
memory of a traumatic experience
o traumatic experience may not
phobia
Other Learning Factors:
o Observational learning--watching another experiencing
in developing fear.
o Operant Conditioning - Fear of an object may be
avoiding the feared objects.
Preparedness theory—phobia serves to
o Humans seem
animals and situations that were survival
--may result
reinforced when by
survival.
prepared to acquire fears of certain
in human evolutionary history
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder:
o An anxiety disorder characterized by
a severely upsetting event in
unwanted recurring memories (
) and dreams
o Follows events that produce intense
or
(traumatic episodes)
Core symptoms include:
o – Frequent recollection of traumatic event, often
and
with normal thoughts
o –
of situations that trigger recall of the event
o – Increased
arousal associated with stress
Potential Causes of PTSD:
o Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome – Studies of the
in PTSD patients
find that on average, it is
% smaller.
o Some think this is a
sign that someone is susceptible to PTSD.
o Others say it is due to excessive
during trauma or an
excessive sensitivity to these hormones after trauma.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
o An anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted,
thoughts and actions
o The obsessions/compulsions begin to take control of the person’s life.
o Obsessions—irrational, disturbing
that intrude into consciousness
o Compulsions—repetitive
performed to alleviate obsessions
–Overt physical behaviors, such as repeatedly checking or
your hands
–Covert mental behaviors, such as
or reciting certain phrases to yourself
Potential Biological Causes:
o Heightened neural activity in
o A deficiency in the neurotransmitter
Causes of Anxiety Disorders
Biological Factors:
o Hereditary factors may result in a
for developing anxiety
disorders
o
functions appear to be different in an anxiety disorder patient
o
factors may lead to anxiety disorders.