Psychology 2030A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attack, Panic Disorder

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2030A/B
• Professor: Ian Nicholson

Document Summary

Anxiety a negative mood state characterized by bodily symptoms of physical tension and apprehension about the future. Fear an immediate alarm reaction to danger. Panic attack an abrupt experience of intense fear or acute discomfort accompanied by physical symptoms. Two types: expected (cued): having a fear of airplanes and going on a flight, common in specific phobia, social anxiety, unexpected (uncued): not knowing when an attack will occur, common in panic disorder. Increased anxiety associated with depleted levels of gaba (part of gaba-benzodiazepine) Noradrenergic system and serotonic neurotransmitter system also involved. Corticotrophin-releasing factor (crf) system central to expression of anxiety and depression and the groups of genes that increase likelihood that this system will be turned on. Crf activates hpa axis, wide-ranging effects on areas of the brain (limbic system: hypothalamus and amygdala) Limbic system associated with anxiety, mediator between brain stem and cortex. Behavioural inhibition system (bis) activated by signals from the brain stem of unexpected events.