Anxiety Disorders

 

When is Anxiety a Problem?

Medical conditions can cause anxiety - rule them out if suspected

anxiety is a problem when it makes decision for you, interferes with your life, or causes distress

two forms:

misinterpreting threat

extreme response

 

two broad categories:

acute, severe, brief wave with cognitive, physiologic, and behavioural component. Resembles acute fear or harm. Can lead to panic attacks

 

low grade, persistent distress. Resembles heightened state of alertness, with constant vigilance to threats. Can lead to generalized anxiety disorders.

 

Integrated Model

Genetic/constitutional vulnerability shaped by developmental experience, influenced by environment, and maintained by maladaptive cognitions and behaviours including avoidance responses.

 

 

Types of Anxiety Disorders

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Treatments for Anxiety Disorders

It is often difficult to argue for psychotherapy, given long wait times and lag time in seeing effects. Drugs can be started within 30 minutes...

 

 

 

Psychotherapy, especially involving exposure to stimuli

People need to stay in an anxiety-provoking situation until their feelings start to decrease.

This will retrain whatever it is that induces the anxiety.

 

If they get exposed and then leave (avoidance), then next time their anxiety might be heightened. Don't do this.

 

Avoidance does NOT work - graph

worry gets higher and higher as you go

 

 

Pharmacotherapy

SSRI's

SNRI's

TCAs

 

 

Factors Affecting Anxiety

 

Temperament

behavioural inhibition (Kagan et al, 1988)

emotional intensity - high negative EI (anger, fear, sadness) correlates with anxiety disorders (Eisenberg, 1995)

 

Attachment

emerging evidence suggests genes are turned on/off with attachment

 

Parenting/Modeling

verbal and nonverbal communication

infants and children take cues from parent's faces, involving limbic and cortical pathways

"Kids very seldom listen to what you say, but the watch very carefully what you do" Morgan Freeman

parenting style...

Parental Anxiety

 

Cognition

...