Anxiety Disorders Flashcards
(29 cards)
The 3 interacting factors within the anxiety perpetuation cycle
Thoughts
Behaviour
Emotions
3 factors of Barlows triple vulnerability model of anxiety
Model that identifies similarities between anxiety disorders
Generalised biological vulnerability Generalised Psychological vulnerability ---> Specific Psychological vulnerability ---> Anxiety Disorder
3 dimensions of anxiety conditions (Watson and Clark)
Model that identifies both similarities and differences of Anxiety disorders
Negative affectivity (All) Autonomic arousal (Panic & Agoraphobia) Low Positive affectivity (Depression, social phobia)
DSM - V Anxiety disorders
Separation anxiety disorder
Selective mutism
Specific phobia Social Anxiety disorder Panic disorder Agoraphobia Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Substance/medication induced
Anxiety disorder due to another medical condition
Other specified anxiety disorder
5 types of specific anxiety disorders
Animal (cats, dogs, spiders etc.)
Natural Environment (storms, heights)
Blood, injection or injury
Situational (Planes, elevators)
Other
The 3 P’s - Used for case conceptualisation
Bonus points Whats the fourth ‘P’
Predisposition
Precipitating
Perpetuating
Protective
Explain the Diathesis stress model
Everyone has some inherent vulnerability toward mental disorders
But not everyone will experience mental disorder
This all depends on 2 factors
- How biologically vulnerable someone is to a mental disorder; and
- How much disruption is caused in ones life due to an environmental event.
While not inherent in model - protective factors also play a role.
What are the symptoms of specific phobia ?
fear caused by presence or anticipation of feared object or situation
- Fear out of proportion
- Leads to Avoidance or intense anxiety
- Clinically significant distress/impairment
- 6 months or more
Outline the process of
Barlows - specific phobia theory
Stress --> False alarm (incorrect appraisal) --> Learned alarm (conditioning) --> Psychological vulnerability --> Specific phobia
Potential perpetuating factors of specific phobia.
Confirmation of threat/bias - reactions to event provoke event into occuring
Maladaptive behaviours (escape and avoidance) leads to reinforcement of behaviour and fewer chances to habituate or extinguish phobia.
Diathesis stress model
Memories - increased recall of threat and relevant info
Treatments of specific anxiety disorder
Behavioural approaches: exposure (in-vivo or interoceptive) - Flooding, systematic desensitisation, inhibitory learning,
Cognitive - self-efficacy - ability to deal with situation
What is prepared classical conditioning
theory that evolution prepares people to be easily condition to fear objects or situations that were dangerous in historic times. E.g. easier to develop a phobia against snaked compared to computer keyboards.
What are the symptoms of a panic attack?
Flight or fight symptoms
- adrenaline release
- faintness
- dizzy
- choking
- increased respiratory - short breaths
- increase blood flow to muscles and blood pressure
- tense muscles
- Sweating
What is Panic disorder
Persistent concern of panic and consequences
Changes in behaviour associated with attack
happens once a month
Recurrent and unexpected panic
What is agoraphobia
Anxiety that the escape from a situation might be difficult or embarrassing
- avoided or endured with extreme distress
- fear of panic and its consequences in this encionrment
- fear of at least 2; public transport, open spaces, closed spaces, crowds/queues, 5. outside and alone.
Perpetuating factors of Panic disorders/agoraphobia
psychological vulnerabilities increase when person worries about the panic attacks in the future ( Self-fulfilling prophecy)
Changes in behaviour related to attack:
- anxiety sensitivity - increased focus and distress regarding physiological symptoms of panic
- avoidance, safety behaviours
Usually about psychology/misinterpretation of attack.
Treatment of agoraphobia/panic disorder?
Psychoeducation
exposure therapy
- external focus (Situations, places) - graded in vivo exposure
- Internal focus (bodily sensations) - interoceptive exposure e.g. inducing sensations and realise they’re not harmful
Cognitive restructuring - change thoughts, challenge false beliefs
What is social anxiety?
Fear of social situations in which the person may face embarrassment and scrutiny.
- performing, being observed, social interactions.
- most troubling symptoms are visible to others
Epidemiology of social anxiety?
1.5x women compared to men
8% in lifetime
tends to be comorbid
Aetiology of social disorder
Excessive planning
Hypervigilance
Diathesis stress model
- excessive parental criticism
- over concern with perceptions of others
- self-fufilling prophecy
- social withdrawal leads to less opportunity to practice social skills.
- excessive self-focus
- divert attention with by reducing pro-social behaviours
Social disorder treatment?
Group treatment - Psychoeducation Behavioural experiments reduce reliance on safety behaviour Video-feedback cognitive restructuring attention training - distract from self Cognitive restructuring Imagery rescription - identify past traumatic social experiences
What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
Chronic worry in every day life must be present most days 6 months Difficult to control catastrophic and automatic thinking styles
Epidemiology of GAD?
6.1% in lifetime
more in women than in men
substantial comorbidity
Explain GAD via the information processing model?
Always on the look out for threats in the environment
Selective attention to cues of danger
expectation of threat is blown out of proportion
overestimate probability o negative consequence
Underestimate ability to cope with negative event
