7 anxiety disorders

3. ANXIETY DISORDER
• Useful because it prompts us to seek regular medical
checkups or motivates us to study for tests.
• It is a normal response to threats, but anxiety becomes
abnormal when it is out of proportion to the reality of a
threat, or when it seems to simply come out of the blue---
that is, when it is not in respose to life events.

4. SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
•PHYSICAL FEATURES: jumpiness,
jitteriness, or shaking, tightness in the pit of the
stomach or chest, heavy perspiration, sweaty palms,
lightheadedness or faintness, dryness in the mouth
or throat, shortness of breath, heart pounding or
racing, cold fingers or limbs, and upset stomach or
nausea, among other physical symptoms.

5. SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
•BEHAVIORAL FEATURES: avoidance
behavior, clinging or dependent behavior, and
agitated behavior.

6. SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
•COGNITIVE FEATURES: may include
worry, a nagging sense of dread or apprehension
about the future, preoccupation with or keen
awareness of bodily sensations, fear of losing
control, thinking the same disturbing thoughts
over and over, jumbled or confused thoughts,
difficulty concentrating or focusing one’s thoughts,
and thinking that things are getting out of hand.

7. MAJOR TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
•PANIC DISORDER
•PHOBIC DISORDERS
•GENERALIZED ANXIETY
DISORDERS

8. PANIC DISORDER

9. PANIC DISORDER
• Characterized by repeated, unexpected PANIC ATTACKS.
• PANIC ATTACKS are intense anxiety reactions that are
accompanied by physical symptoms such as a pounding
heart; rapid respiration, shortness of breath, or difficulty
breathing; heavy perspiration; and weakness or dizziness.
• These are accompanied by feelings of sheer terror and a
sense of imminent danger or impending doom and by an
urge to escape the situation.
• Usually accompanied by thoughts of losing control, “going
crazy,” or dying.

10. KEY FEATURES OF PANIC ATTACKS
PANIC ATTACKS ARE EPISODES OF INTENSE FEAR OR DISCOMFORT THAT
DEVELOP SUDDENLY AND REACH A PEAK WITHIN A FEW MINUTES.
• Pounding heart, tachycardia (rapid
heart rate), or palpitations
• Sweating, trembling, or shaking
• Experience of choking or smothering
sensations or shortness of breath
• Fears of either losing control and
dying or going crazy
• Pain or discomfort in the chest
• Tingling or numbing sensations
• Nausea or stomach distress
• Dizziness, light-headedness,
faintness, or unsteadiness
• Feelings of being detached from
oneself, as if observing oneself from
a distance, or sense of unreality or
strangeness about one’s
surroundings
• Fear of losing control or going crazy
• Hot flashes or chills

11. COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF
PANIC DISORDER

12. COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF
PANIC DISORDER

13. PHOBIC DISORDERS
• from the Greek phobos, meaning “fear.”
• Fear is anxiety experienced in response to a particular
threat.
• A phobia is a fear of an object or situation that is
disproportionate to the threat it poses.

14. PHOBIC DISORDERS
• the fear exceeds any reasonable appraisal of danger.
• people with phobic disorders recognize their fears are
excessive or unreasonable.
• usually involve fears of the ordinary events in life, such as
taking an elevator or driving on a highway, not the
extraordinary.

17. Specific Phobia
persistent, excessive
fear of a specific
object or situation
that is out of
proportion to the
actual danger these
objects or situations
pose.

18. TYPES OF SPECIFIC PHOBIAS
• Fear of animals, such as fear of spiders, insects, and
dogs
• Fear of natural environments, such as fear of heights
(acrophobia), storms, or water
• Fear of blood-injection injury, such as fear of needles or
invasive medical procedures
• Fear of specific situations, such as fear of enclosed
spaces (claustrophobia), elevators, or airplanes

19. DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES OF
SPECIFIC PHOBIAS
• The phobic person experiences high levels of fear
and physiological arousal when encountering the
phobic object, which prompts strong urges to avoid
or escape the situation or to avoid the feared
stimulus, as in the following case.

20. DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES OF
SPECIFIC PHOBIAS
• To rise to the level of a diagnosable disorder,
the phobia must significantly affect the
person’s lifestyle or functioning or
cause significant distress.

21. DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES OF
SPECIFIC PHOBIAS
•Specific phobias often begin in childhood.

22. DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES OF SPECIFIC
PHOBIAS
• Specific phobias are among the most common
psychological disorders, affecting about 9% of the
general population at some point in their lives
• The fear, anxiety, and avoidance associated with specific
phobias typically persist for six months or longer, and
often for years or even decades unless the phobia is
successfully treated.

23. DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES OF SPECIFIC
PHOBIAS
• Anxiety disorders in general and phobic disorders in
particular are more common in women than in men (McLean
& Anderson, 2009).
• Gender differences in development of phobias may reflect
cultural influences that socialize women into more dependent
roles in society
• People with specific phobias will often recognize that their
fears are exaggerated or unfounded. But they still are afraid,
as in the case of this young woman whose fear of medical
injections almost prevented her from getting married.

24. SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER
(SOCIAL PHOBIA)

25. SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER
• Intense fear of social situations that they may
avoid them altogether or endure them only with
great distress.
• The underlying problem is an excessive fear of
negative evaluations from others—fear of being
rejected, humiliated, or embarrassed.

26. SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER
• Social anxiety or fear can severely impair a
person’s daily functioning and quality of life.
• People with social anxiety often turn to
tranquilizers or try to “medicate” themselves with
alcohol when preparing for social interactions
• People with social anxiety often turn to
tranquilizers or try to “medicate” themselves with
alcohol when preparing for social interactions

27. SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER
• The average age of onset of social anxiety disorder is about 15 years.
• About 80% of affected people develop the disorder by age 20
• Social anxiety is strongly associated with a history of childhood
shyness
• Social anxiety tends to be a chronic, persistent disorder, lasting
about 16 years on average
• Despite its early development and the many negative effects it has
on social functioning, people with social anxiety first receive help at
an average age of 27

28. AGORAPHOBIA
• Gk word “fear of the marketplace”
• fear of being out in open, busy areas
• They may structure their lives around avoiding exposure to
fearful situations and in some cases become housebound
for months or even years, even to the extent of being
unable to venture outside to mail a letter.
• The most INCAPACITATING type of phobia.

29. AGORAPHOBIA
• People with agoraphobia develop a fear of places and situations
from which it might be difficult or embarrassing to escape in the
event of panicky symptoms or a full-fledged panic attack or of
situations in which help may be unavailable if such problems
should occur.
• Women are about as likely as men to develop agoraphobia
• Frequently, it begins in late adolescence or early adulthood.
• It may occur either with or without accompanying panic disorder.
Agoraphobia is often, but not always, associated with panic
disorder.

30. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES OF
PHOBIAS

31. PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE
PROJECTION

32. Classical Conditioning
Why was Ivan Pavlov’s
HAIR so soft?

33. Some call it BRIBERY.
I call it OPERANT
CONDITIONING

34. John B. Watson
BRAIN FART!
“I can make you
fear anything”

37. Observational Learning

38. COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE

40. COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
•Oversensitivity to threatening cues.
•Overprediction of danger.
•Self-defeating thoughts and irrational
beliefs.
(e.g., Armfield, 2006; Schultz & Heimberg, 2008; Wenzel et al.,
2005)