PSYC 561 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Panic Attack, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder
Document Summary
Psyc 561 chapter 5- anxiety & stress-related disorders. Among the most common group of disorders. High co-morbidity (=tendency to co-exist with another disorder) within anxiety group: major depressive disorder, eating disorders, somatoform disorders. These 3 can all (and often do) co-exist with each other (serotonin levels) Commonly linked with physical symptoms (neck, back, pain, upset stomach) stress weakens immune system. Shared features: dominance of worry, over-analytic thinking style, behaving to avoid unpleasant situations, anxiety disorders cause us to change the way we live. Psychoanalytic theory: psychic reaction to danger, reactivation of a childhood fear situation: unconscious trigger of something we have never fully processed, anxiety= loss of control. As adults, we don"t cry like toddlers anymore, so act differently (for example, have panic attacks). Most importantly, this explains why people with anxiety behave to avoid unpleasant situations. Behavioral theory: anxiety is conditioned reinforced by the environment.
