PSYC 2280 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Panic Attack, Panic Disorder, Jeffrey Alan Gray
18 Dec 2013
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Anxiety a negative mood state characterized by bodily symptoms of physical tension and apprehension about the future: can be good and bad for us, anxiety doesn"t go away makes the situation worse. Fear immediate alarm reaction to anger (can be good for us: protects us by activating ans, motivates us to escape (flight) or to attack (fight) Panic attack an abrupt experience of intense fear or acute discomfort, accompanied by physical symptoms (ex. increased heart rate, chest pain, shortness of breath, and possibly dizziness: situationally bound (cued, unexpected (uncued, situationally predisposed (in between) Biological contributions: tendency to panic seems to run in families and may have a genetic component. Jeffrey gray identified a brain circuit in limbic system of animals that seems heavily involved in anxiety and may be relevant to humans. Circuit leads from septal and hippocampal area to frontal cortex. Activated by signals of unexpected events from brain stem, ex. major changes in body functioning that signal danger.
