PY 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attack, Panic Disorder
Anxiety is a common and normal occurrence. However, a chronic, high level
of anxiety indicates an anxiety disorder.
Common Anxiety Disorders
Some of the more common anxiety disorders include:
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A person withgeneralized anxiety
disorder experiences persistent and excessive anxiety or worry that lasts at
least six months.
• Specific Phobia: A person who has specific phobia experiences intense
anxiety when exposed to a particular object or situation. The person often
avoids the feared object or situation because of a desire to escape the anxiety
associated with it.
• Social Phobia: A person who has social phobia experiences intense anxiety
when exposed to certain kinds of social or performance situations. As a result,
the person often avoids these types of situations.
• Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: A person with panic
disorderexperiences recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, which cause worry
or anxiety. During a panic attack, a person has symptoms such as heart
palpitations, sweating, trembling, dizziness, chest pain, and fear of losing
control, going crazy, or dying. Panic disorder can occur with or without
agoraphobia. Agoraphobia involves anxiety about losing control in public
places, being in situations from which escape would be difficult or
embarrassing, or being in places where there might be no one to help if a
panic attack occurred.
• Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: A person with obsessive-compulsive
disorder experiences obsessions, compulsions, or both. Obsessions are
ideas, thoughts, impulses, or images that are persistent and cause anxiety or
distress. A person usually feels that the obsessions are inappropriate but
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
However, a chronic, high level of anxiety indicates an anxiety disorder. As a result, the person often avoids these types of situations: panic disorder and agoraphobia: a person with panic disorderexperiences recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, which cause worry or anxiety. During a panic attack, a person has symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, dizziness, chest pain, and fear of losing control, going crazy, or dying. Panic disorder can occur with or without agoraphobia. Obsessions are ideas, thoughts, impulses, or images that are persistent and cause anxiety or distress. A person usually feels that the obsessions are inappropriate but uncontrollable. Compulsionsare repetitive behaviors that help to prevent or relieve anxiety: post traumatic stress disorder (ptsd): a person with this disorder persistently re-experiences a highly traumatic event and avoids stimuli associated with the trauma. Symptoms include increased arousal such as insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance, or exaggerated startle response. Many different interactive factors influence the development of anxiety disorders.
