Module 41(Anxiety disorders, ocd, and ptsd)

OCD

-Characterized by persistent and repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both -Occurs when obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors persistently interfere with everyday life and cause distress -Is more common among teens and young adults than older people Twin studies reveal that OCD has a strong genetic basis

cognition

-Conditioning influences our feelings of anxiety, but so does cognition—our thoughts, memories, interpretations, and expectations. -Observing others can contribute to development of some fears. •Olsson and colleagues: Wild monkey research findings -Our interpretations and expectations also shape our reactions. •Hypervigilance

agoraphobia

-Fear or avoidance of public situations from which escape may be difficult (should a panic attack occur).

genes

-Genetic predisposition to anxiety, OCD, and PTSD -Researchers have identifies 17 gene variations associated with typical anxiety disorder symptoms -Genes influence levels of neurotransmitters: •Serotonin: Influences sleep, mood, attending to threat •Glutamate: Heightens activity in the brain's alarm centers -Experience affects gene expression. Epigenetic marks are often organic molecules that attach to chromosomes and turn certain genes on or off

a phobia

Although Mark realizes his behavior is unreasonable, he is so distraught by high bridges that he avoids them; as a result, he must take an unnecessarily lengthy route to and from work each day. Mark appears to suffer from:

panic disorder

An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations. Often followed by worry over a possible next attack.

ocd

Brooke is focused on cleaning her home, which she does for four hours every day. In particular, the fringe on her living room rug must be straight on both sides. This takes considerable time, and she often repeats this task 10 to 12 times per day. Her experience is most symptomatic of _____ disorder.

serotonin

Influences sleep, mood, attending to threat

social anxiety disorder

Twenty-year-old Brianna lives in a small town. She has always been extremely shy, but lately she has been feeling intensely afraid that others are scrutinizing her. She avoids speaking in class, she no longer goes to parties, and she starts trembling whenever she is in a public place. Brianna seems to be suffering from:

reinforcement

can help maintain a developed and generalized phobia

obsessions

concern with dirt, germs, or toxins; something terrible happening; symmetry, order or exactness

compulsions

excessive hand washing, bathing, toothbrushing, or grooming; repeating rituals; checking doors, locks, appliances, car breaks, homework

PTSD

-Is characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia lingering for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience. -Often involves military veterans (7.6 percent of combatants; 1.4 of noncombatants among American military personnel in Afghanistan) and survivors of accidents, disasters, and violent and sexual assaults (including an estimated two-thirds of prostitutes). •Women at higher risk (1 in 10) than men (1 in 20) of developing this disorder, following a traumatic event. •Most men and women display impressive survivor resiliency.

panic disorder

-Person experiences panic attacks, sudden episodes of intense dread, and fears the next episode's unpredictable onset.

phobia

-Person is intensely and irrationally afraid of a specific object, activity, or situation.

stimulus generalization

-Research demonstrates how a fearful event can later become a fear of similar events.

panic attacks

-Sudden episodes of intense dread -Physical symptoms accompany the attack: •Irregular heartbeat, chest pains, shortness of breath, choking, trembling, dizziness

the brain

-Traumatic fear-learning experiences can leave tracks in the brain -Fear circuits created within the amygdala result in easy inroads for more fear experiences -Brain scans show higher-than-normal activity in the amygdala of brain scans of people with PTSD when they view traumatic images -Anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region that monitors our actions and checks for errors, is especially likely to be hyperactive in people with OCD

natural selection

-We seem biologically prepared to fear certain threats—these are easily conditioned and difficult to extinguish. -Some modern fears may have an evolutionary explanation •Fear of flying may be rooted in our biological predisposition to fear heights and confinement -Our phobias focus on dangers our ancestors faced. Our compulsive acts typically exaggerate behaviors that helped them survive.

generalized anxiety disorder

Diane is concerned about things at work when she is at home, and worried about her home life when she is at work. This free-floating anxiety leaves her tense and irritable, impairs her concentration, and results in many sleepless nights. Diane suffers from:

•Conditioning research helps explain how panic-prone people associate anxiety with certain cues. Learning may magnify a single painful and frightening event into a full-blown phobia through two conditioning processes: -Stimulus generalization: Research demonstrates how a fearful event can later become a fear of similar events. -Reinforcement can help maintain a developed and generalized phobia.

HOW DO CONDITIONING, COGNITION, AND BIOLOGY CONTRIBUTE TO THE FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS THAT MARK ANXIETY DISORDERS, OCD, AND PTSD?

glutamate

Heightens activity in the brain's alarm centers

glutamate

If one has too much _____, the brain's alarm centers may become overactive.

learning

Josephine experiences extreme anxiety when she approaches any lake. Her therapist suggests that her fear is the result of a traumatic childhood boating accident. The therapist's suggestion reflects a(n) _____ perspective.

generalized anxiety disorder

Person is unexplainably and continually tense and uneasy.

phobia

Phil is extremely fearful of germs. He sleeps in a special chamber at night, wears gloves, and will only eat food that he can unwrap. His symptoms are most characteristic of a(n) _____ .

posttraumatic growth

Seven months ago, Quinn witnessed the gruesome murder of a close friend. Although many people expected him to suffer from this, he seemed to have the opposite reaction. He had a greater appreciation for life, his relationships with his family became more meaningful, and he became more involved in his faith. Quinn's response is known as:

panic attacks

Several times in the past two months, Fern has experienced a racing heart, intense fear that something horrible is about to happen, and an inability to breathe. Fern MOST likely is suffering from:

agoraphobia

Susan has been diagnosed with panic disorder and refuses to leave her home. She fears any situation in which she cannot escape or find help when a panic attack would strike. Susan suffers from panic disorder, as well as _____.

ocd

Without success, Fabian spends hours each day trying to suppress the intrusive worry that he may have forgotten to lock the door to his house when he left for work. His experience is MOST symptomatic of:

anterior cingulate cortex

a brain region that monitors our actions and checks for errors, is especially likely to by hyperactive in people with ocd.

phobia

•Anxiety disorder marked by a persistent and irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation. •Specific phobias include a fear of particular animals, insects, heights, blood, or closed spaces.

anxiety disordes, ocd, ptsd

•Anxiety is a part of life for all of us. •Some of us are more prone to notice and remember information perceived as threatening, and the brain's danger-detection system becomes hyperactive. •When this occurs, we are at greater risk for an anxiety disorder, or for two other disorders that involve anxiety: -Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) -Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

generalized anxiety disorder

•Person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal. -Worry continually, often jittery, on edge, and sleep deprived -Lack of concentration on a task -Two-thirds women -Anxiety is free-floating (not linked to a specific stressor or threat) -Often seen with depression, but usually debilitating even on its own May lead to physical problems (high blood pressure)

anxiety disorders

•are marked by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety; include:

social anxiety order

•is an intense fear of other people's negative judgments. -People with this disorder avoid social situations (speaking up in a group, eating out, going to parties), and if unable to avoid them, may experience strong symptoms of their anxiety.