Anxiety Disorders

Mr. KochAP Psychology

Forest Lake High School

Anxiety Disorders• Anxiety– Characterized by ↑ heart rate, ↑

blood pressure, sweating, rapid breathing, dry mouth, sense of dread, uneasiness, trembling, nervousness

• Some anxiety is normal – when so intense & long-lasting that it impairs functioning, becomes a disorder

• Most common disorders in North America

• ~29% will experience• ~2/3 are women

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)• Excessive & long-lasting (~6 mo.)

anxiety, not focused on any particular object or situation (“free-floating anxiety”)– Feel disaster is about to happen,

jumpy, irritable, can’t sleep• 3.1% of pop. in any given year• 5% of pop. In lifetime• Onset ~30 y.o.• Somewhat more common in women• Rarely treated

Panic Disorder• Recurring, terrifying panic attacks

w/o warning or obvious cause• Intense heart palpitations, pressure or

pain in chest, dizziness or unsteadiness, sweating, feeling faint (may last minutes or hours)

• Often mistaken for heart attack– Can last for years w/ improvement

and recurrence– Strong association w/ agoraphobia

– 30% of pop. had panic attack w/in last year

– Only 2-3 % developed full-blown panic disorder

Phobias

• An intense, irrational fear of an object or situation that does not objectively justify such a reaction– Usually realize fear is groundless,

but anxiety persists– May greatly interfere with daily life– DSM subgroups: specific (9% of pop.),

social, agoraphobia• Onset: early teens

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Pattern of adverse and disruptive reactions following a traumatic and threatening event

• i.e., war, natural disasters, assaults, abuse, accidents, etc.

– Characteristic reactions:• Anxiety, depression, irritability, jumpiness,

inability to concentrate, sexual dysfunction, difficulty getting along w/ others, sleep disturbances, intense startle responses, suppressed immune system, nightmares, flashbacks

– May last months, years, decades

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Obsessions – plagued by persistent, upsetting, unwanted thoughts

• i.e., infection, contamination, causing harm to self/others

• Compulsions – ritualistic, repetitive behaviors

• i.e., washing, counting, checking, arranging, etc.

– Interferes w/ daily life (>1 hr/day)– Derive no pleasure – recognize as

irrational• Onset: adolescence• 2-3% of pop. during lifetime (1 in 40)