Intro to Anxiety
Typical Anxiety is worry or unease about a potentially threatening situation
Anxiety disorders are a common disorder group characterised by disproportionate amount anxiety for a situation which does not warrant it. they are impairing when anxiety can normally be helpful to a degree
People suffering from an anxiety disorder will percieve great danger or threat from something which isn’t considered to be deserving of this consideration.
It is important to understand that if it is silly the victim is often aware of this but cannot help it anyways. sometimes it is not silly and often very understandable.
Different anxiety disorders focus on the different specific stimuli which often triggers anxiety.
The disorders mentioned in depth in the course content are listed:
- Agoraphobia
- General anxiety disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Panic disorder
- Post traumatic stress Disorder
- Seperation anxiety
- Social Anxiety disorder
- Specific Phobia
Properties of anxiety
Components of anxiety
There are 4 common symptoms of anxiety, which are then found in people with anxiety disorders.
Physiological Fight or Flight response
Behavioural behavioural responses can be:
- flight
- fight
- avoid
- safety behaviour (If neighbourhood is dark and dangerous safety behaviour can be going with a large group of friends)
Affective Anxiety can make you feel:
- Nervous
- Fear
- Anxious (duh)
- Uneasy
- Terror/dread Cognitive There is the mental perception of danger, threat, loss. Sometimes the person can feel suddenly sharp/clear or confused/foggy.
Good Vs Bad worry
good worry is
- not excessive
- perceived but managamvle
- can be put off when not priority
- less likely to be accompanied by physical symptoms
Type 1 Worry about things happenign in the future so one can plan
Type 2 Worry about worry
- spiraling
- i could go crazy etc
Abnormal anxiety
Anxiety that occurs in the absence of danger Intense, Long duration, Impairs functionality
Prevalence of total symptoms matching an anxiety disorder
Lifetime prevalence of symptoms that match an anxiety disorder is 24.9%.
Associated Lecture, comments and requirements
Lectures: L9 Anxiety 1, L11 Anxiety 2
Objectives:
- Identify and describe the 4 components of anxiety
- Understand the key elements and diagnostic criteria for the main anxiety disorders to the extant that you can differentiate between the disorders if you are given case material
- Demonstrate an understanding od the manner in which patients present with specific anxiety disorders and how the disorder affects functionality and behaviours.