W4L3.pdf Anxiety 2

# 22/8 W4 Lecture 3: Anxiety 2 ## Specific Phobias - A **marked or consistent fear reaction** to the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation. - Anxiety is experienced more proportionally to the actual threat. - **Persistent** lasting 6 months or more. ### Subtypes: - Animals -...

# 22/8 W4 Lecture 3: Anxiety 2 ## Specific Phobias - A **marked or consistent fear reaction** to the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation. - Anxiety is experienced more proportionally to the actual threat. - **Persistent** lasting 6 months or more. ### Subtypes: - Animals - Natural environment - Blood, injection, injury - Situational (flying) ## Causes - Classical conditioning? - Bad experience => Phobia? - Some stimuli are more prone to be more phobic than others. ## Prevalence - Common in children. - More intense with adults. - **7-9% of adults have it.** - **More common in females (2:1)**. - Sometimes follows traumatic event or scary (heart attack) event. # Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - Excessive and uncontrollable worry about a wide range of events. - **Associated with 3Ts:** - Restlessness, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating. - Muscle tension, sleep disturbance. - **Constant stream of consciousness**. ### Types of worries: - Professional - Financial - World events - Minor matters - Personal health/safety - **Intensity is out of proportion to the actual likelihood of the event.** - Limited control over worry. - Worry often catastrophic. - **Lifetime prevalence: 6.1%** - **Higher prevalence with females.** # OCD - Repeated intrusive irrational thoughts or impulses which cause severe anxiety or distress. - Attempts made to ignore or suppress or neutralize the obsessions. ### 4 Dimensions: - Contamination - Doubt/harm - Symmetry or order - Forbidden/taboo - **Compulsions:** repetitive actions/thoughts to try and neutralize anxiety - Washing/cleaning - Checking - Repeating - Ordering and arranging - Mental compulsions - You can have one without the other, but the O+C combo is most common. # Treatment - Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) - Likelihood↓ - Cost↑ - **Exposure is an essential ingredient.** ## Psychoeducation - Person's own specific trigger. - Explanation of anxiety in general. - The role of avoidance. - Teach relaxation techniques. - Cognitive restructuring and thought challenging.