Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety as a Normal
and an Abnormal Response
 Some amount of anxiety is “normal” and is associated with optimal levels of functioning.

 Only when anxiety begins to interfere with social or occupational functioning is it

considered “abnormal.”

Phobic Disorders
Phobias
Specific phobias
Social phobia
Agoraphobia

Specific Phobias
 Specific Phobias
 Psychosocial causal factors
 Genetic and temperamental causal factors
 Preparedness and the nonrandom distribution of fears and phobias
 Treating specific phobias
Social Phobia
General characteristics
Fear of being in social situations in which one will be embarrassed or
humiliated

Social Phobia
Interaction of psychosocial and biological causal factors
Genetic and temperamental factors
Perceptions of uncontrollability
Cognitive variables
Panic Disorder With and Without Agoraphobia
Panic disorder
Panic versus anxiety
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia without panic
Panic Disorder
Prevalence and age of onset
Comorbidity with other disorders
Biological causal factors
The role of Norepinephrine and Serotonin
Genetic factors
Cognitive and behavioral causal factors
Interoceptive fears

Panic Disorder: The Cognitive Theory of Panic

Perceived control and safety
Anxiety sensitivity as a vulnerability factor for panic
Safety behaviors and the persistence of panic
Cognitive biases and the maintenance of panic
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
General characteristics
Prevalence and age of onset
Comorbidity with other disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Biological Causal Factors
Genetic factors
A functional deficiency of GABA
Neurobiological differences between anxiety and panic
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessions- repetitive unwanted ideas that the person recognizes are irrational
Compulsions- repetitive, often ritualized behavior whose behavior serves to diminish anxiety
caused by obsessions
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
Biological Causal Factors
Genetic influences
Abnormalities in brain function
The role of serotonin
Co-Morbid Diagnoses
Alcoholism
75% for Vietnam Veterans with PTSD
Depression
77% of firefighters with PTSD also have depression
Generalized Anxiety
Panic Attacks
Management guidelines for neurotic and stress related disorder
The Maudsley prescribing guidelines
2010
10th edition
David Taylor
Neurotic and stress related disorders
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