Module 42 - Anxiety-related disorders

Question 1

what is anxiety?

Answer 1

• extreme worry
• overactivity of our evolved threat-detection system

Question 2

when does anxiety become a disorder?

Answer 2

• when it becomes a clinically significant interference with your life

Question 3

anxiety-related disorders

Answer 3

• generalized anxiety disorder
• specific phobia
• panic disorder
  involve anxiety but not officially classified as anxiety:
• OCD
• PTSD

Question 4

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Answer 4

• constant worry, tension
• free-floating anxiety (not linked to a specific stressor)
• more common in women (about 2:1)
• often comorbid with depression
• may lead to physical problems, largely due to constant sympathetic nervous system activity
  
  • high blood pressure, muscle aches, digestive issues, etc.

Question 5

panic disorder

Answer 5

panic attacks
- sudden episodes of intense dread, accompanied by physical symptoms
- pounding heart, chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, etc.
- anxiety about the next panic attack leads to avoidance behaviors
- often leads to agoraphobia - fear of public situations from which escape would be difficult during panic attack

Question 6

specific phobia

Answer 6

• persistent irrational fear of something
  
  • a type of animal (dog, insect, etc.)
  • type of environment (heights closed spaces, etc.)
  • blood, injury, injection
• most common anxiety disorder

Question 7

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Answer 7

obsessions:
- intrusive thoughts
- germs/contamination
- things being unbalanced or imperfect
compulsions
- repetitive behaviors to drive out the obsessions
- hand washing
- doing everything a certain number of times

Question 8

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Answer 8

• intrusive memories/ nightmares/ flashbacks, social withdrawal, anxiety, etc. after a traumatic experience
• especially common in certain work professions
  
  • military combatants, sex workers, etc.
• normal to experience these symptoms after trauma - becomes PTSD is they don’t go away after a certain amount of time

Question 9

relation of anxiety-related disorders to conditioning

Answer 9

• the processes of conditioning (generalizing, extinction, etc.) can be applied to the triggers of anxiety
• avoidance can prevent extinction