Psychology 2042A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Sympathetic Nervous System, Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2042A/B
• Professor: Jeff St Pierre

Document Summary

Experiencing anxiety: moderate amounts of anxiety helps us think and act more effectively, excessive, uncontrollable anxiety can be debilitating, the neurotic paradox is a self-defeating behaviour pattern -fear with no threat. Immediate reaction to perceived danger or threat aimed at escaping potential harm. Anxiety versus fear and panic: anxiety: future-oriented mood state, may occur in absence of realistic danger. Fear: present-oriented emotional reaction: occurs in the face of a current danger and marked by a strong escape tendency, panic, a group of physical symptoms of fight/flight response -unexpectedly occur in the absence of obvious danger or threat. Normal anxieties: anxieties are common during childhood and adolescence, common examples. Separation anxiety, test anxiety, excessive concern about competence, excessive need for reassurance, anxiety about harm to a parent: girls display more anxiety than boys, but symptoms are similar, nervous and anxious symptoms may remain stable over time. It is normal from about age 7 months through preschool years.