EXAM 1 Anxiety Flashcards
(27 cards)
Define anxiety
- a feeling of apprehension or fear where the source is not always known or recognized, adding to the distress you feel
- likelihood of harm is overestimated & the ability to cope is underestimated
Define “anxiety disorders”
a group of psychiatric conditions that involve excessive anxiety
Explain fear versus anxiety
- anxiety: response to an unknown, internal, vague, or conflictual threat
- fear: response to a known, external, definite threat
When does anxiety become a disorder?
- when greater intensity and/or duration than expected given the circumstance
- leads to impairment or disability
- daily activities are disrupted b/c of avoidance of certain situations or objects to decrease anxiety
What are the 5 types of anxiety disorders discussed?
- Panic
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Phobic
- PTSD
- OCD
List the 6 parts of the brain involved in the pathophysiology of anxiety
- Amygdala
- Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis (BNST)
- Locus Ceruleus
- Hippocampus
- Thalamus
- Cortex (including prefrontal cortex)
Which two sensory stimuli are first processed/filtered by the thalamus before being sent to the amygdala or cortex?
auditory & visual
Which two sensory stimuli bypass the thalamus going straight to the amygdala?
olfactory & tactile (why they often evoke stronger memories or feelings than sights & sounds)
What is the role of the amygdala?
- the emotional core of the brain–> attaches emotional significance to information
- primary role of triggering immediate fear response
What is the role of the Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis?
longer term unease of anxiety
What is the role of the locus ceruleus?
receives signals from amygdala & is responsible for anxiety responses by secreting noradrenaline –> rapid heartbeat, inc. BP, sweating, & pupil dilation
What is the role of the hippocampus?
- memory center of the brain
- stores raw info & info tagged w/emotion from the amygdala
What is the role of the thalamus?
receives visual & auditory info & breaks it down to send to appropriate part of the cortex
What is the role of the cortex (and the prefrontal cortex)?
- gives raw sight & sound info meaning –> allows brain to become conscious of what it is seeing & hearing
- prefrontal cortex may be vital in turning off anxiety response once the threat has passed
What is panic disorder?
the presence of recurrent or unpredictable panic attacks, which are distinct episodes of intense fear and discomfort ass. with symptoms including:
- palpitations
- SOB
- dizziness
- sweating, etc.
What is agoraphobia?
an acquired, irrational fear of being in places where one feels trapped or unable to escape (commonly seen in panic disorder)
What are the 3 types of panic disorder and how do they differ?
- unexpected: out of the blue attack comes without warning
- situational: always have an attack
- situationally predisposed: likely to have an attack, but doesn’t always s have one
What are the 4 possible causes of panic disorder?
- serotonin depletion
- genetic predisposition
- noradrenaline in the locus coeruleus
- unknown
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
worrying excessively (uncontrollable) over minor matters which result in life disruptions
What is the pathogenesis of GAD?
- result of increased sympathetic arousal of varying degrees
- disruption of serotonergic, noradrenergic, & GABA systems
- genetic predisposition
- environmental stressors
What is a phobic disorder?
persistent fear of objects or situations where exposure to it results in an immediate anxiety reaction
What is the pathophysiology of phobic disorders?
increasing cortisol + decreasing serotonin–> overactivation of amygdala-hippocampus circuit –> increase in fear response
How does a behaviorist see phobic disorders?
a phobia is a learned, conditioned response resulting from a past association with a situation that had negative emotional valence at the time of association
What is the main diagnostic criteria of PTSD?
witness or experience of an event that involved actual or threatened death leading to reliving the event in some way (flashbacks, internal distress) & having feelings of intense fear, horror, or helplessness
