Childhood Anxiety Flashcards
(29 cards)
What is anxiety?
mood state characterized by strong negative emotion and bodily symptoms of tension, in which a person apprehensively anticipates danger or misfortune
What is an anxiety disorder?
an excessive and debilitating chronic recurrence of anxiety, most common childhood and adult disorder
What is fear? And what DSM disorders are based on fear?
Fear is present-oriented. Specific phobias, social phobias, selective mutism.
What is worry? And what DSM disorders are based on worry?
Worry is future oriented. Agoraphobia, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety.
What is a blend of fear and worry? In the DSM?
Panic disorders
What are phobias?
Most common anxiety disorder in childhood is marked by fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation. a) The phobic object/situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety b) the phobic object/situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety.
The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger.
a) persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more
i) ***causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning
How is anxiety of phobias experienced by the individual?
a) individual believes they are in danger
b) they do not want to feel anxious
c) they do not want other people to notice (embarrassment)
d) believe they cannot control situation, and have not in past
What is avoidance?
It is the reinforcing behavior that exacerbates and maintains a phobia.
How do we treat phobias?
By modifying avoidant behaviors using exposures, Anti-Avoidance.
What is the fear and avoidance hierarchy?
a) developed with a therapist
b) ordered list of situations in which client experiences fear of phobic stimulus
c) each situation is rated in terms of how much fear it generates and the lengths to which a client will avoid it
d) client works least feared to most feared
How do you make exposures effective?
a) identify scary thoughts before exposure
b) rate level of distress before exposure
c) during exposure, rate distress every 5 minutes
d) do not distract oneself
e) continue until anxiety goes down
f) longer exposures better than several short ones
g) rate distress after exposure
h) evaluate scary thoughts again
What is the goal for anxiety treatment?
It is not to get rid of anxiety but rather to realize that even though anxiety is uncomfortable, the risks are minimal
What is social phobia?
Marked by fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which the individual is exposed to possible scrutiny by others.
a) fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger
b) persistent typically lasting for 6 months or more
c) causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Does social phobia have a developmental precursor?
Yes. Behavioral inhibition in infancy– tendency to withdraw or display fear (ex. back arching, crying, limb movement) when faced with novel or unfamiliar situations or people. Pervasive across contexts and remains stable across development as babies grow into children.
What is the trajectory of a social phobia?
Behavioral inhibition during infancy > doubles likelihood in middle school > quadruples likelihood in adolescence
What are the causes of behavioral inhibition? How do parenting styles play a role in infancy and childhood?
Believed to be biological with hyperactivity of the amygdala. a) in infancy= no consistent association with parenting style or attachment
b) in middle childhood= more likely yo have parents who are extremely protective and limit autonomy
i) *emergence of childhood anxiety symptoms precedes parental overprotection = parents become highly attuned to their children and may help child avoid
What is separation anxiety?
Normal development stage in securely attached babies and toddlers in which they become upset when separated from caregivers; usually waves by around 3-4 years old
What is separation anxiety disorder?
Disorder characterized by significant worry and distress regarding separation from people to whom an individual has a strong, emotional attachment. Evidenced by at least 3 of the following:
a) recurrent excessive distress when anticipating or experiencing separation
b) persistent and excessive worry about losing major attachment figures or harm to them
c) persistent and excessive worry about experiencing an untoward event that causes separation
d) persistent reluctance or refusal to go out, away from home, to school, to work
e) fear of being home alone
f) will not sleep away
g) repeated nightmares about separation
h) complaints of physical symptoms
The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, lasting at least 4 weeks in children and adolescents and 6 months or more in adults.
Causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, academic, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Disturbance is not better explained by another disorder.
Is SAD more common in children or adults?
Adults.
What is the comorbidity of SAD?
Overlaps heavy with other disorders. About 2/3 of kids with SAD also meet criteria for another anxiety disorder.
How do we treat SAD?
Fear and avoidance hierarchy works too!
What are panic attacks?
Abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes, and during which time four of the following symptoms occur:
- palpitations
- sweating
- trembling
- sensations of shortness of breath
- feelings of chocking, chest pain, nausea, chills, paresthesias
- feelings of unreality
- feelings of being detached from oneself
Time limited. Symptoms reach a peak in about 10 minutes and then decline.
What triggers a panic attack?
Situationally bound (clear triggers) and not situationally bound (out of the blue, unexpected)
What is a panic disorder?
Characterized by recurrent unexpected panic attacks.
At least one of the attacks has been followed by 1 month of or both of the following:
a) Persistent concern or worry about additional panic attacks or consequences
b) A significant maladaptive change in behavior related to the attacks
