Anxiety Disorders

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Anxiety Disorders

• NOTES

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PHOBIA

• Strong, persistent fear that is excessive or
  irrational

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TYPES OF PHOBIAS

• Specific phobia
• Fear is set off by a specific object or situation
  that is either present or anticipated
• Social phobia
• Fears social situation that involves facing
  strangers or being watched by others fears being
  embarrassed or humiliated

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CRITERIA

• Feared object/situation almost always causes
  panic attack or symptoms of anxiety
• Fear is unreasonable patient realizes this
• Avoids object/situation or endures it with severe
  distress

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• Much distress about fear or interferes with usual
  routines or personal and social functioning
• Under age 18 must show symptoms for 6 months or
  longer

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PANIC DISORDER

• Criteria
• Recurrent panic attacks that are not expected
• For a month or more after an attack, patient
  suffers at least one of the following
• Concern about another attack
• Worry about attack
• Change in behavior (try to avoid attack)

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What is a panic attack?

• Sudden severe fear or discomfort that peaks
  within 10 minutes
• Has 4 or more symptoms
• Chest pain
• Chills or hot flashes
• Choking sensation
• Dizzy, lightheaded
• Fear of dying
• Heart races

• Nausea
• Numbness or tingling
• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Trembling

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• Panic disorder may or may not be accompanied by
  agoraphobia which is the fear of being in a place
  where escape is difficult
• Phobias and panic disorder can lead to AVOIDANCE

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GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER

• Excessive anxiety and worry for at least 6 months
  (must be present more than half the days)
• Has trouble controlling these feelings
• Impairs social or personal functioning
• In addition, has 3 or more of the following
• Restlessness
• Tires easily
• Trouble concentrating

• Irritability
• Tense muscles
• Trouble sleeping

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OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

• Obsessions (ALL)
• Recurring, persisting thoughts, impulses or
  images
• Ideas are not just excessive worries about
  ordinary problems
• Patient tries to ignore ideas or neutralize them
  with behavior (compulsions)
• Patient knows that these ideas are a product of
  his own mind

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• Compulsions (ALL)
• Needs to repeat behavior
• Behavior occurs in response to obsession or in
  accordance with strictly applied rules
• Behavior is to reduce stress
• Behavior is excessive or unrealistic

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• Patient knows that the behavior is unreasonable
  or excessive
• Behavior causes at least one of the following
• Severe distress
• Takes up time
• Interferes with personal and social functioning

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POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

• Experienced an unusually traumatic event
• Event posed threat of or lead to death or
  serious injury to patient or others
• Patient felt intense fear, horror or helplessness
• Relives event in at least one of the following
  ways
• Distressing recollections or dreams
• Flashbacks or illusions
• Mental distress in reaction to cues that resemble
  the event

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• Numbing of general responsiveness in 3 or more
  ways
• Tries to avoid memories of event
• Tries to avoid things that recall event
• Cannot recall important features of event
• Loss of interest in activities
• Feels detached or isolated from others
• Restricted in ability to love or feel strong
  emotions
• Feels life will be unfulfilled

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• Has symptoms for more than a month
• Impairs social or personal functioning