MEDI7301 Final: SAD and GAD
SAD and GAD
Introduction
Overview Anxiety disorders are disorders characterised by excessive fear & anxiety with
related behavioural disturbances
Fear - an emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat; usually
involves surges of autonomic arousal 'fight or flight', thoughts of immediate danger and
escape behaviours
Anxiety - the anticipation of future threat; usually involves muscle tension,
hypervigilance in preparation for future danger and cautious avoidant behaviours
Sometimes the level of fear or anxiety is reduced by pervasive avoidant
behaviours
Similarities Differences
Anticipation
of danger
Tense
apprehensiveness
Uneasiness
Elevated
arousal
Negative
affect
Future
orientated
Accompanied
by bodily sensations
Fear
Specific focus of threat
Understandable connection
between threat and fear
Episodic (peak and fall)
Declines with removal of
threat
Bodily sensations of an
emergency
Rational quality
Anxiety
Source is elusive (unsure of
stimulus)
Uncertain connection
Prolonged and pervasive
uneasiness
No clear borders
Heightened vigilance
Bodily sensations of
vigilance
Puzzling quality (unsure
why they are afraid)
Anxiety disorders are distinguished by the types of objects or situations that induce
fear, anxiety or avoidance behaviour & the associated cognitive ideation
Anxiety disorders differ from developmentally normative fear or anxiety via …
Excessiveness (disproportionate in relation to the person's current life
circumstances)
Intensity (high level of anxiety for the individual)
Duration/ chronicity (longer than expected for that circumstance; it may
become generalised to other similar or dissimilar situations)
Impairment (impaired social, occupational, educational, health or daily
functioning)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Classification
Differentials
(to exclude)
Management Non-pharmacological
Psychoeducation Allow patient to discuss their own anxiety
Describe anxiety
Intense discomfort that drives people to
avoid feared stimuli
Anxiety worsens with each subsequent
situation exposure
Yerkes-Dodson law (too little or too much anxiety is harmful)
Common sx and reactions to anxiety
CBT Panic control
Identify -ve thoughts
Complete thought log (situation, thought
they had, resulting consequence of behaviours and emotion)
Challenge -ve thoughts
Challenge long-held beliefs
"What is the worst that could happen",
"what is the best that could happen", "what is most likely to
happen"
Replace old belief with new belief
EX/RP Graded exposure to feared stimulus to facilitate systematic
desensitization
Create fear hierarchy (identify anxiety to
address, then list of steps in ranking of how anxiety-provoking the
situation is)
Teach patient relaxation techniques to learn
during process (deep breathing, muscle relaxation, medication)
Exposure over several sessions to allow
patient to slowly expose up fear hierarchy
Example - spider phobia
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Anxiety disorders are disorders characterised by excessive fear & anxiety with related behavioural disturbances. Fear - an emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat; usually involves surges of autonomic arousal "fight or flight", thoughts of immediate danger and escape behaviours. Anxiety - the anticipation of future threat; usually involves muscle tension, hypervigilance in preparation for future danger and cautious avoidant behaviours. Sometimes the level of fear or anxiety is reduced by pervasive avoidant behaviours. Similarities of danger apprehensiveness arousal affect orientated by bodily sensations. Understandable connection between threat and fear threat emergency. Anxiety disorders are distinguished by the types of objects or situations that induce why they are afraid) fear, anxiety or avoidance behaviour & the associated cognitive ideation. Anxiety disorders differ from developmentally normative fear or anxiety via . Excessiveness (disproportionate in relation to the person"s current life circumstances) Intensity (high level of anxiety for the individual)
