Anxiety, Panics, Phobias & OCD Flashcards
(36 cards)
What are the physical symptoms of anxiety?
- sweating, hot flushes/cold chills
- trembling/shaking
- muscle tension/aches & pains
- Dry mouth
- Difficulty breathing
- palpitations
- chest pain
- nausea/abd distress
What are the cognitive symptoms of anxiety
- Fear of losing control
- feeling keyed up/on edge
- Derealisation (feeling that objects are unreal)
- Depersonalisation (not really here)
- hypervigilance
- racing thoughts
What are the behavioural symptoms of anxiety?
- Avoiding certain situations
- Exaggerated response to surprising events
- Sleeping difficulty
- Alcohol/drug abuse
- restlessness
- irritability
- checking behaviours
What does the amygdala do?
assesses whether sensory material via the thalamus requires a stress/fear response. This is modified via cortically processed signal which occurs later (act first, think later)
What hormones are responsible for stress response?
catecholamines and cortisol
What is anxiety disorder?
extreme feeling of anxiousness than normal and in situations that are not normally anxiety provoking
What is generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)?
generalised and persistent anxiety in any particular environmental circumstances. It is not due to substance misuse/other medical coditions (hyperthyroidism)
What are the criteria for GAD?
-needs to be severe enough to last more than 6 days, uncontrollable and cause function impairment/distress
What is GAD associated with?
- restlessness
- easily fatigued
- difficulty concentrating
- irritability
- muscle tension
- sleep disturbance
What is typical age of onset of GAD
20-40 years
What is the course of the disorder?
chronic & fluctuating
Is GAD associated with other psychiatric disorders?
Yes 90% are. Eg, depression, substance abuse/other anxiety disorders
What is the treatment of GAD?
- CBT
- SSRI/SNRI
- Pregabalin
- Benzodiazepines (short term only aka 1 month)
What is panic disorder?
Recurrent attacks of severe anxiety (panics) which are not restricted to any particular situation (unpredictable)
What are the symptoms of panic disorder?
sudden onset of:
- palpitations
- chest pain
- choking sensation
- depersonalisation/derealisation
- secondary fear of dying/ losing control/going mad
What may panic disorder be associated with?
- Agoraphobia (fear or avoidance of places that may trigger anxiety/panic attacks)
- depression
- substance misuse
What other criteria define panic disorder?
-not associated with substance abuse/ other medical condition
What is the typical age of onset
mid 30’s
What is the biology of panic attacks?
- can be triggered by infusions of lactate (by-product of muscular activity)/ rebreathing air (inc. CO2)
- PET scan: inc metabolism of anterior pole of temporal lobe (parahippocampal gyrus)
What is the treatment for panic disorder
- CBT
- SSRI/SNRI
- Tricyclics
- Benzodiazepines (short course)
What are the 3 types of phobias?
- Agoraphobia
- social phobia
- specific phobia
- *(irrational fear)
what is agoraphobia
Avoidance of potential phobic situations. Some people with agoraphobia experience little anxiety because they are able to avoid potential phobic situations
What are specific phobias?
-Marked/persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable (person recognises their fear as unreasonable)
What are the treatments for specific phobias
behavioural therapy (exposure)
- graded exposure/systematic desensitisation
- CBT (if necessary)
- SSRI/SNRI if required
