Problem 7: Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Question 1

treatment

Answer 1

-CBT is not amazing
-MCT (metacognitive therapy) focuses on beliefs about worry by using cognitive restructuring and behavioural experiments
-IUT (intolerance of uncertainty therapy): focus on developing ability to cope with worry (worry awareness training, problem solving training, and worry exposure exercises)
-both effective, MCT more than IUT

Question 2

Intolerance of uncertainty

Answer 2

-how do your deal with uncertainty
-good discriminator between clinical and non-clinical worriers
-worriers have lower IU threshold
-situation –> what if thinking –> beliefs about worry –> anxiety + poor problem orientation + cognitive avoidance e

Question 3

Metacognitions

Answer 3

-awareness and understanding of one’s own thoughts
-situation –> positive beliefs about worry –> type 1 worry –> negative beliefs about worry –> type 2 worry –> influences behaviour, thought control and emotion
-study: meta-worry was positive associated with pathological worry

Question 4

interpersonal differences

Answer 4

-is the subject of their worry
-lack of friends
-marital problems
-dysfunctional family dynamics
-social anxiety
-personality disorder
-not actual bad social skills but negative attributions of interpersonal stimuli

Question 5

cognitive systems in GAD

Answer 5

-attentional bias
-diminished cognitive control when anxious (shifting, inhibiting, WM)
-negative interpretation bias to ambiguous information

Question 6

pathological worry

Answer 6

-uncontrollable worry, irritable, concentration and sleep problems, restlessness and muscle tension
-greater sensitivity to threat stimuli –> developing maladaptive coping strategies
-worry mediates transition from fear to anxiety –> developing GAD

Question 7

avoidance model of worry

Answer 7

-worry = maladaptive strategy to avoid negative internal experiences
-verbal nature of worry inhibits access of imagery of fear provoking stimulus –> reduces initial physiological reaction but habituation to feared stimulus is impaired

Question 8

contrast avoidance model

Answer 8

-opposite of avoidance model
-worry creates and sustains negative emotion to prevent further sharp increase in negative emotion
-when neg emotions are permanently high –> less room for additional neg emotion
-more in line with current findings