Download Anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders.
IB psychology Seoul Foreign
School
Definitions and diagnosis

There are many types of anxiety disorders that include panic disorder,
obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety
disorder, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder.

Anxiety is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences at times.
Many people feel anxious, or nervous, when faced with a problem at work,
before taking a test, or making an important decision. Anxiety disorders,
however, are different. They can cause such distress that it interferes with a
person's ability to lead a normal life.

An anxiety disorder is a serious mental illness. For people with anxiety
disorders, worry and fear are constant and overwhelming, and can be
crippling.
What Are the Types of Anxiety Disorders?

There are several recognized types of anxiety disorders, including:

Panic disorder : People with this condition have feelings of terror that strike
suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Other symptoms of a panic attack
include sweating, chest pain, palpitations (irregular heartbeats), and a feeling of
choking, which may make the person feel like he or she is having a heart attack
or "going crazy."

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) : People with OCD are plagued by
constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or
routines. The disturbing thoughts are called obsessions, and the rituals are
called compulsions. An example is a person with an unreasonable fear of germs
who constantly washes his or her hands.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) : PTSD is a condition that can develop
following a traumatic and/or terrifying event, such as a sexual or physical
assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, or a natural disaster. People with
PTSD often have lasting and frightening thoughts and memories of the event,
and tend to be emotionally numb.

Social anxiety disorder : Also called social phobia, social anxiety disorder
involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social
situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or
behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule.

Specific phobias : A specific phobia is an intense fear of a specific object or
situation, such as snakes, heights, or flying. The level of fear usually is
inappropriate to the situation and may cause the person to avoid common,
everyday situations.

Generalized anxiety disorder : This disorder involves excessive, unrealistic
worry and tension, even if there is little or nothing to provoke the anxiety.
Diagnostic criteria

A. At least 6 months of "excessive anxiety and worry" about a
variety of events and situations. Generally, "excessive" can be
interpreted as more than would be expected for a particular
situation or event. Most people become anxious over certain
things, but the intensity of the anxiety typically corresponds to
the situation.

B. There is significant difficulty in controlling the anxiety and
worry. If someone has a very difficult struggle to regain control,
relax, or cope with the anxiety and worry, then this
requirement is met.

C. The presence for most days over the previous six months of 3 or more
(only 1 for children) of the following symptoms:

1. Feeling wound-up, tense, or restless

2. Easily becoming fatigued or worn-out

3. Concentration problems

4. Irritability

5. Significant tension in muscles

6. Difficulty with sleep

D. The symptoms are not part of another mental disorder.

E. The symptoms cause "clinically significant distress" or
problems functioning in daily life. "Clinically significant" is the
part that relies on the perspective of the treatment provider.
Some people can have many of the aforementioned symptoms
and cope with them well enough to maintain a high level of
functioning.

F. The condition is not due to a substance or medical issue

Source: American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th Ed., Text Revision).
Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Specific Phobias These common conditions are characterized by
marked fear of specific objects or situations (DSM-IV). Exposure
to the object of the phobia, either in real life or via imagination or
video, invariably elicits intense anxiety, which may include a
(situationally bound) panic attack. Adults generally recognize that
this intense fear is irrational. Nevertheless, they typically avoid
the phobic stimulus or endure exposure with great difficulty. The
most common specific phobias include the following feared
stimuli or situations: animals (especially snakes, rodents, birds,
and dogs); insects (especially spiders and bees or hornets);
heights; elevators; flying; automobile driving; water; storms; and
blood or injections.

Approximately 8 percent of the adult population suffers from one or
more specific phobias in 1 year (Table 4-1). Much higher rates would
be recorded if less rigorous diagnostic requirements for avoidance or
functional impairment were employed. Typically, the specific phobias
begin in childhood, although there is a second “peak” of onset in the
middle 20s of adulthood (DSM-IV). Most phobias persist for years or
even decades, and relatively few remit spontaneously or without
treatment.

The specific phobias generally do not result from exposure to a single
traumatic event (i.e., being bitten by a dog or nearly drowning)
(Marks, 1969). Rather, there is evidence of phobia in other family
members and social or vicarious learning of phobias (Cook & Mineka,
1989). Spontaneous, unexpected panic attacks also appear to play a
role in the development of specific phobia, although the particular
pattern of avoidance is much more focal and circumscribed.
Etiology: Biological level of analysis.

According to the biological level of analysis, specific phobias should be
explainable in terms of evolutionary adaptation, genetic susceptibility, the
action of neurotransmitters in specific regions of the brain, and the role of
hormones.
 The

Fight of Flight response.
The fight or flight response is generally considered to be the basis of the
anxiety reaction. It seems to prepare the human body for action to deal
with a threatening situation through activating the sympathetic nervous
system.

Make a note of two studies that support the biological approach.

As with all biological studies ‘twin studies’ are widely used. Is this research
reliable?

Describe the main weaknesses of the biological approach.
Etiololgy: The cognitive level of analysis.

Bandra self-efficacy theory has been used to account for the causes of
phobias, focusing on an individuals expectations