Module 41: Anxiety Disorders, OCD, and PTSD

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:

posttraumatic growth

This disorder is characterized by a person having lingering memories, nightmares, and other symptoms for weeks after a severely threatening, uncontrollable event.

posttraumatic stress disorder

Walter has an intense fear of speaking in public. Because he can only engage in one-on-one discussions, he has been passed over for promotions. He may be suffering from _____ anxiety disorder.

social

anxiety disorders

A class of disorders marked by feelings of excessive apprehension and anxiety.

People who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder:

are tense and apprehensive all the time.

Many contemporary psychologists have turned to the following perspectives on anxiety: conditioning, cognition, and _____.

biology

Using _____, researchers have created chronically anxious, ulcer-prone rats by giving them unpredictable electric shocks.

classical conditioning

agoraphobia

fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one has felt loss of control and panic

Sigmund Freud described _____ disorder as free-floating anxiety.

generalized anxiety

Tomas is continually tense and plagued by muscle tension, sleeplessness, and an inability to concentrate. He most likely suffers from _____ disorder.

generalized anxiety

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:

generalized anxiety disorder

Lenore is continually tense and plagued by muscle tension, sleeplessness, and an inability to concentrate. Lenore MOST likely suffers from:

generalized anxiety disorder.

social anxiety disorder

intense fear of social situations, leading to avoidance of such

People suffering from a phobia are typically phobic of situations that humans are biologically predisposed to fear. Which of the following is NOT a biologically based fear? - spiders - kittens - heights - snakes

kitten

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.

learning

Posttraumatic stress disorder is characterized by symptoms that include haunting memories and _____, jumpy anxiety, social withdrawal, and insomnia.

nightmares

Sally 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:

obsessive-compulsive disorder

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:

panic attacks.

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

panic disorder

Michael 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:

phobia

People who feel irrationally and intensely afraid of specific objects or situations are suffering from a _____.

phobia

This disorder is characterized by an irrational fear of a specific object or situation.

phobias

_____ disorder is characterized by symptoms of unexplained and continually tense and uneasy feelings.

Generalized anxiety

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder that consists of sudden, overwhelming attacks of terror

Years after he barely survived an attack that killed his wife and two children, Mr. Yousafzai suffers recurring flashbacks and frequent nightmares of the event. They render him incapable of holding a steady job. Mr. Yousafzai is most clearly showing signs of _____.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

_____ disorder is characterized by sudden episodes of intense dread.

Panic

_____ disorder is to anxiety as a hurricane is to a windy day.

Panic

posttraumatic growth (PTG)

Positive personal growth that may follow an extremely stressful event

generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

Thirty-five-year-old Lucy needs to have her blood drawn. She is so distraught by this that she must mentally prepare herself for it, as well as take a short-acting sedative. Lucy seems to be suffering from:

a phobia

classical conditioning

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

phobia

abnormal fear

If a person avoids situations in which help may not be available when panic strikes, that person may be 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 _____.

agoraphobia

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)

Biological Perspective

the perspective that emphasizes the influence of biology on behavior

Humanistic Perspective

the perspective that stresses the human capacity for self-fulfillment and the importance of consciousness, self-awareness, and the capacity to make choices

psychoanalytic perspective

the perspective that stresses the influences of unconscious forces on human behavior

learning perspective

the psychological point of view that emphasizes the effects of experience on behavior

PTSD diagnoses among survivors who had been inside New York's World Trade Center during the 2001 attack were _____ the rates found among those who were outside.

twice