Psychopathology Chapter 4

behavioral theory of fear acquisition

- Classical conditioning - Vicarious learning/observational learning - Information transfer: when one instructs something should be feared

psychodynamic theory of fear acquistion

- Freud - anxiety results from conflict b/w id (primal) and ego (rational)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

- becoming aware of experiences "in the moment" - accepting and dealing with stressful situations - clarifying values - using the values to change behavior

cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety

- exposure therapies

symptoms of PTSD

- intrusion - negative alterations in cognition and mood - hyper arousal - hyper vigilance - exaggerated startle response - persistent avoidance of situations and objects

What is the risk associated with benzodiazepines?

- may cause psychological and physical dependence - cause seizures when withdrawn

cognitive approach to fear acquisition

- people with anxiety process information differently, which results in the development of anxiety - fear of fear - anxiety sensitivity

example of negative reinforcement

- see a spider in the bathroom - you become anxious - run away from spider - you feel relief but you learn that escape/avoidance eliminates fear so you are more likely to avoid the spider

Key Features of Fight or Flight

- sympathetic nervous system - accelerated heart rate - enhanced muscle activity - increased respiration

Three components of anxiety

-physical symptoms -negative cognitions/subjective distress -escape or avoidance behavior

How many symptom groups are there in PTSD?

4

five specifiers of specific phobia

Animal phobias Natural environment phobias Blood-injection-injury phobias Situational phobias Other (unrelated to other groups)

Clyde and Sarah just watched their teammate fail at an important athletic competition. Clyde then succeeded at the competition, and Sarah failed. Based on this scenario, which of the following is most likely to be accurate?

Clyde succeeded earlier in the same competition

Anxiety is generally conceptualized as involving each of the following except?

Past-oriented

Which of the following is accurate regarding anxiety disorders?

They are associated with decreased serotonin levels

vasovagal syncope

a common physiological response consisting of slow heart rate and low blood pressure that sometimes occurs in people with blood/illness/injury phobias

Panic Attack

a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort (subjective distress) and a cascade of physical symptoms

Fight or Flight

a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system activated by stress or fear that includes accelerated heart rate, enhanced muscle activity, and increased respiration

The currently available data on the heritability of anxiety disorders suggest that

a general vulnerability factor or anxiety proneness is what is inherited

anxiety disorder

a group of disorders characterized by heightened physical arousal, cognitive/subjective distress, and behavioral avoidance of feared objects/situations/events

information transfer

a person instructs someone that a situation or object should be feared

trait anxiety

a personality trait that exists along a dimension; those individuals high on this dimension are more "reactive" to stressful events and therefore more likely, given the right circumstances, to develop a disorder; also called anxiety proneness

Social Anxiety Disorder

a pervasive pattern of social timidity characterized by fear that the person will behave in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing

sympathetic nervous system

a set of nerves that prepares the body for action in challenging or threatening situations

Behavioral Inhibition

a temperamental feature characterized by withdrawal from (or failure to approach) novel people, objects, or situations

anxiety sensitivity

a tendency to focus on one's bodily sensations, assess them illogically, and interpret them as harmful

negative reinforcement increases what?

avoidance behaviors and anxiety

Metacognition

awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes

Two perspectives of anxiety and trauma-stressor-related disorders

biological and psychological

Although PTSD affects people of all ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds, it is slightly different in children because

children engage in traumatic play

Derealization or depersonalization (feelings of being detached from one's body or one's surroundings), fear of losing control or going crazy, and fear of dying are

cognitive symptoms of panic attack

The criticism that it has become "too easy" to diagnose PTSD reflect which of the following?

conceptual bracket creep

Autonomic Nervous System

controls involuntary movements

Panic Disorder

disorder in which the person has had at least one panic attack and worries about having more or what the panic attack means

subjective distress

emotion or internal experience that is distressing to the individual, but cannot be directly observed by others

Clive has PTSD. Whenever he hears a car horn, he feels an incredible sense of panic. This scenario describes which of the following?

exaggerated startle response

Todd is afraid of flying. He is invited for a job interview that requires air travel. He has a panic attack while preparing for his interview a week before his flight. His panic attack would fall under what type?

expected

The common ingredient in the most effective forms of behavioral and cognitive behavioral treatments of anxiety is

exposure

in vivo exposure

exposure that takes place in a real-life situation

Agorophobia

fear of being in public spaces or situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable if a panic attack occurs

Specific Phobia

fear of objects or specific situations or events that lead to significant disruption in daily functioning

anxiety disorders are more common among males or females?

females

psychodynamic treatment of anxiety

foster client awareness of inner conflicts

How do SSRIs work?

inhibit reuptake of serotonin increasing the time that serotonin remains in the synapse

vicarious learning

learning the consequences of an action by watching others being rewarded or punished for performing the action

Children may not experience the same sense of worry as adults due to a lack of

metacognition

Derek is terrified of airplanes. One day, while driving to work, he saw an airplane and immediately turned his car around and went home. This caused him to feel great relief. Derek had just demonstrated which of the following?

negative reinforcement

Which of the following is not associated with increased anxiety?

occipital lobe

A discrete period of intense fear and physical arousal is called ___________

panic attack

fear of fear model

panic attack -> increased physical arousal and worry about another attack -> hyper-vigilance -> catastrophic misinterpretation of physical sensations -> repeat

Heart palpitations (pounding heart or accelerated heart rate), sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking, chest pain, nausea, and dizziness are

physiological symptoms of panic attack

David is seeing a doctor about his anxiety, and the doctor constantly asks David for details about his childhood relationship with his parents. This doctor is likely using which treatment orientation?

psychodynamic

intrusion

recurrent and intrusive memories, thoughts, and dreams about the trauma that occur repeatedly despite attempts to suppress them

Somatic Nervous System

sensory and voluntary motor functions

parasympathetic nervous system

slows down heart rate and respiration, returning body to resting state

Craig is so nervous at parties that he feels he could have a panic attack at any moment. He likely suffers from _________

social anxiety disorder

2 parts of peripheral nervous system

somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system

Randall had the sudden thought "I'm going to be attacked any moment!" This is an example of:

subjective distress

2 elements of autonomic nervous system

sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system

Heritability

the ability of a trait to be passed down from one generation to the next

Comorbidity

the co-occurrence of two or more disorders in a single individual

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

the excessive worry about future events, past transgressions, financial status, and the health of oneself and loved ones

negative alterations in cognition and mood

the inability to feel emotions such as joy, surprise, or even sadness

Separation Anxiety Disorder

the severe and unreasonable fear of separation from a parent or a caregiver

John and Derek are 6-month-old infants. When Derek does not get a toy he wants, he screams loudly, while John remains passive and calm. This difference in behavior reflects which of the following?

trait anxiety

biological / psychological / environmental factors explain development of anxiety disorders T/F

true

cognitive theories explain the maintenance of anxiety disorders T/F

true