Final Flashcards
Clinical anxiety involves…
- Anxiety and fear that arises in absence of real threat
- Excessive or inappropriate
- Marked distress/functional impairment
Emotional Processing Theory (EPT)
It assumed that patients improve if:
- Self-reported fear (SUDS) decline during exposure trials
- Exposure to the same stimulus evokes les fear from one trial to the next
But fear expression during learning is not the same thing as fear learning
What are some disadvantages of the habituation model
- It can contribute to return of fear and relapse
- Patients view anxiety/fear/arousal/negative thoughts as a problem (anxiety = bad, so if I have it then I’ve failed)
- Exposure used to control anxiety (“I know I’ll be okay because anxiety will go down eventually”)
- -Inevitable surges of fear and arousal viewed as a failure
What does Inhibitory Learning (IL) focus on/do differently?
- Fear tolerance
- Label the occurrence of anxiety and fear as opportunities to practice fear tolerance (as opposed to signs of failure)
What can you track instead of SUDS?
Track length of time the client can manage without ritualizing while being exposed to the possibility of the feared outcome
How will you know when your patient is done with treatment?
- Client has completed all the feared items on their list
- Client has extinguished safety behaviors
- Client has changed cognitions
- Client can tolerate more anxiety
- Improved quality of life
How can you prevent relapse?
- Spread sessions out at end of treatment
- Create a plan w/ client for them to continue with planned & lifestyle exposures
- Educate patient about lapse (setback) vs. relapse
- Reaffirm that anxiety is a normal part of life.
What is Catastrophic Misinterpretation, and what populations experience it?
Misinterpretation of bodily sensations as a sign of impending catastrophe
What are criteria for separation anxiety disorder
- Distress in anticipation of separation
- Fear of losing or harm coming to attachment figure
- Worry about events that causes separation (e.g., getting lost, being kidnapped)
- Reluctance or refusal to leave home
- Fear of being alone, even at home
- Reluctance to sleep away from attachment figure
- Nightmares involving separation
- Physical complaints when separation is anticipated
How long must symptoms last for separation anxiety disorder?
4 weeks
What are some specific tools for doing exposures with kids?
•Praise without providing reassurance
• e.g., “You are so brave. Your worry bully is getting smaller by the second!”
• Encourage sitting with distress/anxiety as much as they can tolerate
• “Hugging” anxiety instead of “pushing it away”
• If appropriate, keep it playful or make it into a game
• e.g., “Let’s see who can find the grossest blood photo!” or “Can you beat your record of
how long you sit in the dark alone?”
• Frequency of exposures expedites treatment, but meet the family where they are at
for at-home exposures
• Checklists and structured plans can help with follow through
What are two common traits among hoarders?
- Indecisiveness
- A barrier to sorting – “churning”
- Unable to commit - Underinclusiveness
- Out of an aesthetic appreciation, out of respect
- A barrier to sorting
Why is it typically ineffective to focus on cognitive change for hoarding disorder?
Hoarding is reinforced not by past need but by potential future need
How do hoarders measure value of an item?
Sentimental value can be just as important as monetary value of items
What are two common things that hoarders fear?
- They might forget something
2. They’ll miss an opportunity to connect with someone
