LECTURE 17 Flashcards
Triple vulnerabilities
A combination of biological, psychological,
and specific factors that increase our risk
for developing a disorder
Anxiety
Negative mood state that is accompanied by bodily symptoms such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, a sense of unease, and apprehension about the future
Biological Vulnerabilities
Specific genetic and neurobiological factors that
might predispose someone to develop anxiety disorders. No single gene directly causes
anxiety or panic, but our genes may make us more susceptible to anxiety and influence how
our brains react to stress
Psychological Vulnerabilites
Refer to the influences that our early experiences
have on how we view the world. If we were confronted with unpredictable stressors or traumatic experiences at younger ages, we may come to view the world as unpredictable and uncontrollable, even dangerous
Specific Vulnerabilites
Refer to how our experiences lead us to focus and channel our anxiety. If we learned that physical illness is dangerous, maybe through witnessing our family’s reaction whenever anyone got sick, we may focus our anxiety on physical sensations
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
worries become difficult, or even impossible, to turn off. They may find themselves worrying excessively about a number of different things, both minor and catastrophic. Their worries also come with a host of other symptoms such as muscle tension, fatigue, agitation or restlessness, irritability, difficulties with sleep (either falling asleep, staying asleep, or both),
or difficulty concentrating. More sensitive and vigilant.
Many of the catastrophic outcomes people with GAD worry about are very unlikely to happen, so when the catastrophic event doesn’t materialize, the act of worrying gets reinforced
Panic Disorder
People with panic disorder tend to interpret even normal physical sensations in a catastrophic way, which
triggers more anxiety and, ironically, more physical sensations, creating a vicious cycle of panic.
Unexpected sudden fight or flight response This
is called an “unexpected” panic attack or a false alarm. Because there is no apparent reason or cue for the alarm reaction, you might react to the sensations with intense fear, maybe thinking you are having a heart attack, or going crazy, or even dying. You might begin to
associate the physical sensations you felt during this attack with this fear and may start to go out of your way to avoid having those sensations again
Internal bodily or somatic cues
The person may begin to avoid a number of situations
or activities that produce the same physiological arousal that was present during the beginnings of a panic attack. For example, someone who experienced a
racing heart during a panic attack might avoid exercise or caffeine. Someone who experienced choking sensations might avoid wearing high-necked sweaters or necklaces.
Interoceptive Avoidance
Avoidance of internal bodily or somatic cues
External cues for panic
The individual may also have experienced an overwhelming urge to escape during the unexpected panic attack. This can lead to a sense that certain places or situations—particularly situations where escape might not be possible—are not “safe.”
Agoraphobia
If the person begins to avoid several places or situations, or still endures these situations but does so with a significant amount of apprehension and anxiety
Diagnosis of specific phobia
There must be an irrational fear of a specific object or situation that substantially interferes with the person’s ability to function.
Diagnosis for Social Anxiety Disorder
The fear and anxiety associated with social situations must be so strong that the person avoids them entirely, or if avoidance is not possible, the person endures them with a great deal of distress. Further, the fear and avoidance of social situations must get in the way of the person’s daily life, or seriously limit their academic or occupational functioning.
Conditioned response example
Someone else might react so strongly to the anxiety provoked by a social situation that they have an unexpected panic attack. This panic attack then becomes associated (conditioned response) with the social situation, causing the person to fear they will panic the next time they are in that situation.
Diagnosis of PTSD
Begins with the traumatic event itself. An individual must have been exposed to an event that involves actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. To receive a diagnosis of PTSD, exposure to the event must include either directly experiencing
the event, witnessing the event happening to someone else, learning that the event occurred to a close relative or friend, or having repeated or extreme exposure to details of the event (such as in the case of first responders). The person subsequently re-experiences the event through both intrusive memories and nightmares. Some memories may come back so vividly
that the person feels like they are experiencing the event all over again, what is known as having a flashback.
A person with PTSD is particularly sensitive to both internal and external cues that serve as reminders of their traumatic experience.
