PSY 606 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attack, Panic Disorder

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 606
• Professor: Meagan Mackenzie

Document Summary

Difference between anxiety and fear: main in time focus. Fear: immediate alarm reaction to danger characterized by strong escapist tendencies in reponse to present danger or life threatening emergencies. It protects us by activating a massive response from the autonomic nervous system (increased heart rate and blood pressure, for example), which, along with our subjective sense of terror, motivates us to escape (flee) or, possibly, to attack (fight). When feels intense fear autonomic nervous system will activate to cause surge of energy. Abdominal distress: diaherria if you experience the alarm response of fear when there is nothing to be afraid of panic. Situationally predisposed panic attack, is between these two types. You are more likely to, but will not inevitably, have an attack where you have had one before; Comorbidity: one or more disorders happening same time and same person. Suicide: increased rate with people having panic attack. All the different factors interact to create disorders.