Anxiety, OCD, and related Flashcards
(15 cards)
a state of alarm in response to a vague sense of being in danger
physiological features – increase in respiration, perspiration, muscle tension, etc.
Anxiety
- Most common mental disorders in the U.S.
- In any given year, 18% of the adult population in the U.S. experiences one of the six anxiety disorders
- 29% develop one of the disorders at some point, and only one-fifth of these individuals seek treatment
- Most individuals with one anxiety disorder also suffer from a second disorder
- In addition, many individuals with an anxiety disorder also experience depression
Anxiety disorders
Name the different anxiety disorders
1) Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
2) Phobias
3) Panic Disorder
4) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
5) Acute Stress Disorder
6) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Excessive anxiety under most circumstances and worry
Symptoms: restlessness, fatigue; difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, and/or sleep problems
Symptoms must last at least six months
The disorder is common in Western society
Usually first appears in childhood or adolescence
Around one-quarter of those with GAD are currently in treatment
As many as 4% of the US population have symptoms in any given year and ~6% at some time during their lives
Women are diagnosed more often than men by a 2:1 ratio
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
From the Greek word for “fear”
Persistent and unreasonable fears of particular objects, activities, or situations
People with a phobia often avoid the object or thoughts about it
Phobias
How do common fears differ from phobias?
More intense and persistent fear
Greater desire to avoid the feared object or situation
Distress that interferes with functioning
Persistent fears of specific objects or situations
When exposed to the object or situation, sufferers experience immediate fear
Most common: Phobias of specific animals or insects, heights, enclosed spaces, thunderstorms, and blood
Specific Phobias
Fear of being in public places or situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable, should they experience panic or become incapacitated
Pervasive and complex
Typically develops in 20s or 30s
Agoraphobia
Marked, disproportionate, and persistent fears about one or more social situations
May be narrow – talking, performing, eating, or writing in public
May be broad – general fear of functioning poorly in front of others
In both forms, people rate themselves as performing less competently than they actually do
Social Anxiety Disorder
Treatments for Social Anxiety Disorder
Only in the past 15 years have clinicians been able to treat social anxiety disorder successfully
Two components must be addressed:
Overwhelming social fear
Address fears behaviorally with exposure
Lack of social skills
Social skills and assertiveness trainings have proved helpful
Panic, an extreme anxiety reaction, can result when a real threat suddenly emerges
The experience of “panic attacks,” however, is different
Panic attacks are periodic, short bouts of panic that occur suddenly, reach a peak, and pass
Sufferers often fear they will die, go crazy, or lose control
Attacks happen in the absence of a real threat
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder often (but not always) accompanied by _________.
agoraphobia
Diagnosis is called for when symptoms:
Feel excessive or unreasonable
Cause great distress
Take up much time
Interfere with daily functions
-Classified as an anxiety disorder because obsessions cause anxiety, while compulsions are aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety
It is equally common in men and women and among different racial and ethnic groups
It is estimated that more than 40% of those with OCD seek treatment
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Persistent thoughts, ideas, impulses, or images that seem to invade a person’s consciousness
Obsessions
Repetitive and rigid behaviors or mental acts that people feel they must perform to prevent or reduce anxiety
“Voluntary” behaviors or mental acts
Feel mandatory/unstoppable
Most recognize that their behaviors are unreasonable
Believe, though, that something terrible will occur if they do not perform the compulsive acts
Performing behaviors reduces anxiety for a short time
Behaviors often develop into rituals
Compulsions
