Anxiety Disorders

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary characteristic of anxiety disorders?

  • A type of personality disorder
  • Significant and uncontrollable anxiety (correct)
  • Persistent fear of a specific object or situation
  • A normal human emotion that is always present

Which of the following symptoms is NOT typical of anxiety disorders?

  • Tachycardia or palpitations
  • Difficulty concentrating and controlling worries
  • Euphoria or elevated mood (correct)
  • Sweating, trembling, and abdominal pain

What is the minimum duration of symptoms required for a diagnosis of anxiety disorders?

  • One year
  • Three months
  • Six months (correct)
  • One month

Which type of anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive anxiety or worry about multiple things?

<p>Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in adults?

<p>9% of adults (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between Agoraphobia and Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)?

<p>Agoraphobia is fear of being in situations or places perceived as unsafe, while Social Phobia is fear of social or performance situations (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary treatment approach for anxiety disorders?

<p>Combination of psychotherapy and medication (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of anxiety disorders is attributed to genetic factors?

<p>30% of anxiety disorders (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

<p>Unwanted and disturbing intrusive thoughts (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of exposure therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders?

<p>To help individuals confront and overcome their fears (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Anxiety Disorders

  • Anxiety is a normal human emotion that can become excessive, persistent, and impact daily functioning, leading to anxiety disorders.
  • Anxiety disorders are a group of specific mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable anxiety.

Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

  • Feelings of panic, doom, and restlessness
  • Fear, which is an emotional response to an immediate threat
  • Anxiety can cause avoidance behavior, muscle tension, and physical manifestations such as:
    • Tachycardia or palpitations
    • Sensation of choking or being unable to breathe
    • Sweating, trembling, and abdominal pain
  • Anxiety can be present chronically, manifesting as feeling on edge, easily fatigued, irritable, with difficulty concentrating and controlling worries

Diagnostic Criteria for Anxiety Disorders

  • Symptoms need to have been present for six months
  • Symptoms are out of proportion to the perceived threat
  • Symptoms cannot be the direct result of another medical or psychiatric condition or substance/medication use
  • Symptoms should have an impact on daily functioning in different scenarios (socially or in work)

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

  • Defined by excessive anxiety or worry about multiple things on most days for more than six months
  • At least three of the following symptoms:
    • Restlessness, fatigue, ability reduced concentration
    • Irritability, muscle tension, and poor sleep
  • Combined with inability to manage worry and impairment in daily functioning
  • Estimated to affect around 9% of adults at some point in their lives

Specific Phobias

  • Characterized by fear or anxiety when exposed to a specific object or situation
  • Reaction is persistent, and people with true phobias will go out of their way to avoid exposure
  • Some of the most common phobias include fear of heights, spiders, snakes, and flying

Panic Disorder

  • Form of anxiety where people experience recurrent panic attacks
  • Triggers can occur in specific scenarios or without warning
  • Panic attacks must be recurrent and happening for over a period of one month to diagnose panic disorder
  • Impact beyond the attacks themselves, such as worrying about additional attacks or the implications leading to a change in behavior

Agoraphobia and Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)

  • Agoraphobia: anxiety when in situations or places perceived as unsafe, and feeling trapped
  • Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder): fear or anxiety in social or performance situations, fearing humiliation, rejection, or embarrassment
  • Both disorders can lead to avoidance behavior and impact daily functioning

Other Anxiety Disorders

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): result of trauma, characterized by anxiety symptoms, recurrent thoughts, distressing nightmares, and dissociative reactions
  • Separation Anxiety Disorder: excessive anxiety when separated from the home environment or a person with a strong attachment
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): unwanted and disturbing intrusive thoughts, combined with compulsions to relieve distress
  • Selective Mutism: person has the ability to speak but becomes anxious to the point of being unable to speak in certain situations

Causes and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

  • Combination of genetics and environmental influences lead to anxiety disorders
  • Genetics: hereditary factors make up around 30% of the development
  • Environmental factors: childhood adversities, past trauma, socio-demographic factors, and more
  • Treatment: combination of psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy) and medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and more)

Anxiety Disorders

  • Anxiety is a normal human emotion that can become excessive, persistent, and impact daily functioning, leading to anxiety disorders.

Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

  • Feelings of panic, doom, and restlessness
  • Fear, which is an emotional response to an immediate threat
  • Anxiety can cause:
    • Avoidance behavior
    • Muscle tension
    • Physical manifestations such as:
      • Tachycardia or palpitations
      • Sensation of choking or being unable to breathe
      • Sweating, trembling, and abdominal pain
  • Anxiety can be present chronically, manifesting as:
    • Feeling on edge
    • Easily fatigued
    • Irritable
    • Difficulty concentrating
    • Controlling worries

Diagnostic Criteria for Anxiety Disorders

  • Symptoms need to have been present for six months
  • Symptoms are out of proportion to the perceived threat
  • Symptoms cannot be the direct result of another medical or psychiatric condition or substance/medication use
  • Symptoms should have an impact on daily functioning in different scenarios (socially or in work)

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

  • Defined by excessive anxiety or worry about multiple things on most days for more than six months
  • At least three of the following symptoms:
    • Restlessness, fatigue, ability reduced concentration
    • Irritability, muscle tension, and poor sleep
  • Combined with inability to manage worry and impairment in daily functioning
  • Estimated to affect around 9% of adults at some point in their lives

Specific Phobias

  • Characterized by fear or anxiety when exposed to a specific object or situation
  • Reaction is persistent, and people with true phobias will go out of their way to avoid exposure
  • Examples of common phobias:
    • Fear of heights
    • Fear of spiders
    • Fear of snakes
    • Fear of flying

Panic Disorder

  • Form of anxiety where people experience recurrent panic attacks
  • Triggers can occur in specific scenarios or without warning
  • Panic attacks must be recurrent and happening for over a period of one month to diagnose panic disorder
  • Impact beyond the attacks themselves, such as:
    • Worrying about additional attacks
    • Implications leading to a change in behavior

Agoraphobia and Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)

  • Agoraphobia: anxiety when in situations or places perceived as unsafe, and feeling trapped
  • Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder): fear or anxiety in social or performance situations, fearing:
    • Humiliation
    • Rejection
    • Embarrassment
  • Both disorders can lead to avoidance behavior and impact daily functioning

Other Anxiety Disorders

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): result of trauma, characterized by:
    • Anxiety symptoms
    • Recurrent thoughts
    • Distressing nightmares
    • Dissociative reactions
  • Separation Anxiety Disorder: excessive anxiety when separated from the home environment or a person with a strong attachment
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): unwanted and disturbing intrusive thoughts, combined with compulsions to relieve distress
  • Selective Mutism: person has the ability to speak but becomes anxious to the point of being unable to speak in certain situations

Causes and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

  • Combination of genetics and environmental influences lead to anxiety disorders
  • Genetics: hereditary factors make up around 30% of the development
  • Environmental factors:
    • Childhood adversities
    • Past trauma
    • Socio-demographic factors
    • More
  • Treatment: combination of:
    • Psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy)
    • Medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and more)

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