Trauma and Anxiety Disorders Overview

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Questions and Answers

What biological factor may indicate vulnerability to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?

Increased dopamine levels

Alterations in the structure and activity of the limbic system

Genetic predisposition (correct)

Taking anti-anxiety medication

Which treatment is specifically mentioned as effective for OCD?

Exposure and response prevention therapy (correct)

Electroconvulsive therapy

Psychoanalysis

Aromatherapy

How do compulsions in OCD typically develop according to cognitive-behavioral theories?

Through classical conditioning

Through operant conditioning – negative reinforcement (correct)

From childhood trauma

As a side effect of medication

What is a common characteristic of individuals with hoarding disorder?

An exaggerated sense of responsibility and guilt Signup and view all the answers

Which brain structures show decreased activity in people with OCD after responding to behavior therapy?

Caudate nucleus and thalamus Signup and view all the answers

What physiological change occurs when the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system?

Increased glucose release from the liver Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following responses is characterized by the symptom of hypervigilance?

Increased alertness Signup and view all the answers

What is a key characteristic of trauma as defined in the content?

Involves actual or threatened death or injury Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents a behavioral response to stress?

Escape Signup and view all the answers

What occurs when the adrenal-cortical system is activated after a threatening stimuli?

The activation turns off Signup and view all the answers

Which emotional response is characterized by exaggerated perceptions of danger?

Dread Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the major criteria for diagnosing PTSD or acute stress disorder?

The traumatic event was experienced by someone close to the individual Signup and view all the answers

Which physiological change is NOT associated with the activation of the sympathetic nervous system?

Muscle relaxation Signup and view all the answers

Which psychological factors increase the likelihood of developing PTSD after a trauma?

Pre-existing symptoms of anxiety or depression Signup and view all the answers

What is one reason women are more likely to develop PTSD compared to men?

Women experience stigmatizing types of traumas Signup and view all the answers

Which racial or ethnic group has been reported to have higher rates of PTSD?

African Americans Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a physical symptom associated with Ataque de Nervios?

Loss of consciousness Signup and view all the answers

Which brain region is known to respond more actively to emotional stimuli in individuals with PTSD?

Amygdala Signup and view all the answers

How does the medial prefrontal cortex's activity relate to PTSD symptoms?

It is less active in people with more severe symptoms Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following symptoms is characteristic of 'Nervios' among Latinos?

Chronic anxiety-like symptoms Signup and view all the answers

People from racial or ethnic minority groups are generally less likely to seek treatment for which type of symptoms?

Trauma-related symptoms Signup and view all the answers

What is a biological factor that may contribute to PTSD?

Abnormalities in brain responses to emotional stimuli Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a goal of cognitive-behavioral therapy for PTSD?

To expose clients to their fears Signup and view all the answers

What type of phobia involves an intense fear of seeing blood or injury?

Blood-injection-or injury type phobia Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about specific phobias is true?

Anxiety occurs immediately upon encounter with the feared object. Signup and view all the answers

Which therapy is described as helping clients manage stress in their lives?

Stress-inoculation therapy Signup and view all the answers

What is a common type of situational phobia?

Fear of public transportation Signup and view all the answers

What is observed in individuals with PTSD regarding cortisol levels?

They have significantly lower resting cortisol levels. Signup and view all the answers

What is the evidence regarding biological therapy effectiveness in treating PTSD?

The evidence is inconsistent. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common characteristic of individuals with agoraphobia?

They typically have a history of panic attacks. Signup and view all the answers

According to behavioral theories, which method is NOT used in treating phobias?

Cognitive restructuring Signup and view all the answers

How much more likely are first-degree relatives of individuals with phobias to also have a phobia?

Three to four times more likely Signup and view all the answers

What treatment technique is specifically used for blood-injection-injury type phobia?

Applied tension technique Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about social anxiety disorder is true?

It can cause severe disruption in a person's life. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following symptoms is NOT commonly associated with social anxiety disorder?

Improve on stage performances Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant factor in the prevalence of agoraphobia among genders?

It is more common in women. Signup and view all the answers

Which theory suggests that phobias may arise from unconscious anxiety being displaced onto a neutral object?

Psychoanalytic theory Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Trauma refers to events where individuals experience or witness actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation.
The flight-or-fight response is a set of physical and psychological reactions triggered by stress or crisis, allowing individuals to confront or escape threats.
The hypothalamus initiates the flight-or-fight response by activating the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the Adrenal-Cortical System.
The SNS, when activated by the hypothalamus, causes a range of physiological changes including: increased glucose release by the liver, heightened metabolism, elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate, muscle tension, reduced non-essential activities, decreased saliva and mucus production, endorphin release, constriction of surface blood vessels, and increased red blood cell production by the spleen.
The Adrenal-Cortical System is responsible for the release of cortisol, a stress hormone, which acts as a brake on the SNS, deactivating it once the threatening stimuli subside.
Psychological trauma can trigger a range of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions, including:
- Emotional: Terror, dread, irritability, restlessness
- Cognitive: Anticipation of harm, exaggerated perception of danger, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance, ruminative thoughts, fear of losing control, fear of dying, feelings of unreality.
- Behavioral: Escape, avoidance, aggression, freezing.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Acute Stress Disorder

Both PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder require the sufferer to directly experience a traumatic event, witness it happening to someone close to them, be repeatedly exposed to the traumatic event, or be intensely exposed to the details of the traumatic event.

Theories of PTSD

Psychological Factors: People who experience increased anxiety or depression before a trauma are at higher risk of developing PTSD. Individuals with self-destructive, avoidant, and dissociative coping mechanisms are more likely to experience PTSD.
Gender and Cross-Cultural Differences: Women tend to experience PTSD more frequently than men, potentially due to the stigmatization of the types of trauma they often face, limiting their social support. African Americans experience higher rates of PTSD compared to white, Hispanic, and Asian American populations. Asian Americans report higher occurrences of being refugees or civilians in war zones. All racial/ethnic minorities are less likely than white individuals to seek treatment for trauma-related symptoms.
Culture: Culture influences the manifestation of anxiety. Examples include:
- Ataque de Nervios (Attack of Nerves): Common among Latinos, characterized by physical symptoms like tremors, heart palpitations, chest heat rising to the head, limb movement difficulties, loss of consciousness, memory lapses, paresthesia, chest tightness, dyspnea, dizziness, faintness, and spells, as well as behavioral symptoms like shouting, swearing, striking others, falling to the ground with convulsive movements, and lying immobile.
- Nervios: More chronic, anxiety-like symptoms among Latinos, encompassing a wide range of physical ailments and emotional symptoms.
Biological Factors: Neuroimaging findings indicate that the amygdala, a brain region responsible for emotional processing, shows greater activity in individuals with PTSD. The medial prefrontal cortex, associated with executive functions, is less active in those experiencing more severe symptoms. The hippocampus, involved in memory formation and spatial navigation, shows shrinkage in people with PTSD.
Biochemical Findings: Individuals with PTSD often have lower resting levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, compared to those without PTSD. This lower cortisol level may contribute to prolonged SNS activity following stress.
Genetics: Abnormally low cortisol levels and variations in brain responses to emotional stimuli appear to have a genetic basis.

Treatments for PTSD

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Stress Management: CBT aims to reduce fear by exposing clients to their fears, challenging distorted cognitions that contribute to symptoms, and assisting them in managing stress in their lives.
Specific Techniques: Systemic Desensitization, Stress-inoculation Therapy
Biological Therapies: Selective-Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) medications and benzodiazepines are used, though their effectiveness in treating PTSD is mixed.

OCD is often present in people with body dysmorphic disorder.
Biological Theories of OCD: Changes in the structure and activity of the striatum, a brain region involved in movement control and reward, may contribute to OCD. Medication regulating serotonin levels often provides relief for individuals with OCD and related disorders. Behavioral therapy for OCD can lead to reduced activity in the caudate nucleus and thalamus, brain regions involved in movement and sensory processing. A sudden onset of OCD in children is associated with strep infection. Genetic factors are believed to play a role in vulnerability to OCD.
Cognitive-Behavioral Theories of OCD: Individuals with OCD and related disorders struggle to suppress negative, intrusive thoughts. Compulsive behaviors, such as repetitive actions, emerge through operant conditioning—negative reinforcement, where the behavior reduces anxiety or distress. People with hoarding disorder experience an exaggerated sense of responsibility, guilt about wasting things, an excessive need to prepare for unexpected situations, and a feeling of moral obligation to prevent harm to objects.

Treatments for OCD

Biological Treatments: Antidepressant medications are commonly used.
Cognitive-Behavioral Treatments: CBT interventions using exposure and response prevention are effective.

Specific Phobia and Agoraphobia

Specific Phobias: Characterized by unreasonable or irrational fears of specific objects or situations. The presence of the feared object or situation triggers immediate and intense anxiety, sometimes resulting in panic attacks. Often develop in childhood.
Common Specific Phobias:
- Animal Type: Focus on specific animals or insects, such as dogs, cats, snakes, spiders.
- Natural Environment Type: Focus on events or situations in natural environments, like storms, heights, or water.
- Situational Type: Fear of public transportation, tunnels, bridges, elevators, flying, or driving. Claustrophobia is a common situational phobia.
- Blood-Injection-Injury Type: Fear of seeing blood or injury.
Agoraphobia: Often described as “fear of the marketplace", characterized by intense anxiety in situations that involve public transportation, open spaces, shops, theaters, crowded places, or being alone outside one's home. 50% of those with agoraphobia have experienced panic attacks. Individuals with agoraphobia frequently have a history of other anxiety disorders, somatic symptom disorders, or depression. It commonly develops in early adulthood and is more prevalent in women than men.

Theories of Phobias

Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud): According to Freud, displacement of unconscious anxiety onto a neutral or symbolic object leads to the development of phobias.
Behavioral Theories:
- Mowrer's Two-Factor Theory (1939): Proposed that phobias develop through classical conditioning (learning to fear an object or situation) and operant conditioning (avoidance of the feared object or situation reduces anxiety, reinforcing the fear).
- Observational Learning: Observing others experiencing fear can trigger the development of phobias in individuals.
- Prepared Classical Conditioning: Humans possess a predisposition to develop phobias of certain objects or situations, like snakes, spiders, or heights, due to evolutionary factors.
Biological Theories: First-degree relatives of individuals with phobias are three to four times more likely to have a phobia than the relatives of people without phobias. Research suggests a genetic link between situational and animal phobias, as well as a general predisposition to phobias that isn't limited to specific types.

Treatments for Phobias

Behavioral Treatments: Modeling, flooding, and systematic desensitization techniques are effective. The applied tension technique is used to treat blood-injection-injury type phobias.
Biological Treatments: Benzodiazepines reduce anxiety when confronting phobic objects.

Individuals with social anxiety disorder experience intense anxiety in social situations. They have an overwhelming fear of rejection, judgment, or humiliation in public, leading to preoccupation with these worries and avoidance of social interactions. Social anxiety disorder can severely disrupt a person's daily life.
Symptoms: Tremors, perspiration, confusion, dizziness, heart palpitations, and potentially panic attacks.
Prevalence: Social anxiety disorder is common, with a lifetime prevalence of about 12% in the US and 3 to 7% internationally. Women are slightly more likely to develop social anxiety than men.

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Description

This quiz covers the fundamentals of trauma, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. It explores the physiological responses to stress, including the flight-or-fight response and the roles of the Sympathetic Nervous System and Adrenal-Cortical System. Test your knowledge on how these systems interact within the context of psychological reactions to trauma.