Anxiety Anxiety DisordersDisorders

Anxiety Disorders

a group of conditions where the primary symptoms are anxiety or

defenses against anxiety.

The patient fears something awful willwill happen to them.

Often called NeurosesOften called Neuroses

What is anxiety?•A state of intense

apprehension, uneasiness, uncertainty, or fear.

Differs from normal day to day anxiety in that anxiety – or effort to or effort to control itcontrol it – begins to

take control and dominate life

Hey…that sounds like Hey…that sounds like me…right???me…right???

Generalized Anxiety Generalized Anxiety DisorderDisorder

• A person is continuously tense, apprehensive and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal (cant relax)(cant relax)

• Anxiety is not tied to any particular object or situation

• Anxiety has a “free-floating” quality

The patient is constantly tense and worried, feels inadequate, is oversensitive, can’t

concentrate and may suffer from insomnia. - can lead to the more serious can lead to the more serious panic panic

disorderdisorder

Panic DisorderPanic Disorder• sudden bouts of intense

unexplained terror– Panic attacksPanic attacks– episodes of intense dread, chest

pain, choking and other frightening sensations

– People may think they are “going crazy”

– More than three in six months is cause for alarm

Can cause secondary disorders, such as agoraphobia or social phobiasagoraphobia or social phobias.

PhobiasPhobias• Irrational or excessive fears of particular objects

or situations– People recognize that fears are irrational, but still

avoid situations or objects– Three types– Social phobia, specific phobia, and agoraphobia

The Phobia List Link

Obsessive Compulsive Obsessive Compulsive DisorderDisorder

• characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions)(obsessions) and/or repetitive actions (compulsions).(compulsions).– Becomes OCD when it takes

control of our lives

Common Examples of OCDCommon Obsessions:

Common Compulsions:

Contamination fears of germs, dirt, etc.

Washing

Imagining having harmed self or others

Repeating

Imagining losing control of aggressive urges

Checking

Intrusive sexual thoughts or urges

Touching

Excessive religious or moral doubt

Counting

Forbidden thoughtsOrdering/

arranging

A need to have things "just so" Hoarding or saving

A need to tell, ask, confess Praying

Explanations for Anxiety Disorders• Behavioral

– You Learn them through conditioning, observational learning, and reinforcement

• Evolution– fear based on earlier dangers to keep us alive

• Genes – passed on

• Physiology (the brain) – brains of those with anxiety disorders

actually function differently• Cognitive

– The way you look at the world or social situations (social phobias for example)

Post-traumatic Stress Disordera.k.a. PTSD

• Flashbacks or nightmares following a person’s involvement in or observation of an extremely stressful event.

• Memories of the even cause anxiety.