1. What would be the criteria used to distinguish between clinically significant fear and anxiety, and everyday fear and anxiety?
(198)First, we need to understand what fear and anxiety is. Fear is when the nervous system responds to a threat to ones well being. Anxiety is when there is a vague sense of danger. Both of these term help the body determine when action needs to be taken like “Fight” or “Flight”. When they both come clinically significant is when people can’t not live there normal lives without one or there other or both interfering. “Their discomfort is so server or to frequent, last too long, or is trigger to easily, (Comer, 2013, pp.114)”. Then they are termed with having an anxiety disorder or some other disorder. Most psychologist use the DSM-5 check list when diagnosing a patient with anxiety disorder. They look for these signs that the DSM-5 list:
1. Excessive or ongoing anxiety and worry, for at least three months, about two or more activates or events (Table 5-1).
2. Restlessness and/or muscle tension (Table 5-1).
3. Behavior may be affected by anxiety and worry (Table 5-1).
4. Significant distress or impairment (Table 5-1).
If the patient is showing any of these sign/ symptoms then they would be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (Comer, 2013, pp.115).
References
Comer, R. J. (2013) Abnormal Psychology, 8th Ed. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
2. Explain in detail, from a biological perspective, how GABA is related to the experience of anxiety. What are some limitations of this explanation?
(271) Before we can answer the question we fist need to understand what GABA means. It means gamma-aminobutyric acid which is a common neurotransmitter in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry messages from one to another. GABA has inhibitory messages that are received in the receptor which cause the neuron to stop firing. In other words if during a normal fear or anxiety reaction, key neurons start firing more rapidly, triggering the firing of more neurons creating a state of excitability throughout the body: perspiration, breathing heavily, and muscle tension increase. If the excitability keeps persisting it starts a continuous feedback system where the brain and body reduce the level of excitability by emitting GABA through some neurons which bind GABA receptors on certain neurons which stop firing which cease the feeling of fear and anxiety. So, some of the some limitations of this explanation would be having a malfunction in the feedback system which can cause fear and anxiety to go unchecked this has been proven by reducing GABA in animals which proved a rise in anxiety.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder, also known as (GAD) is one of the several types of anxiety disorders. GAD according to our textbook (Lahey) is an uneasy sense of general tension and apprehension for no apparent reason that makes the individual highly uncomfortable because of its prolonged presence. GAD is much more than the normal anxiety people experience day to day. Without provoking, it is chronic and exaggerated worry and tension. This disorder can involve anticipating disaster, often worrying excessively about health, money, family or work. Sometimes, though, just the thought of getting through the day brings anxiety.
...where the individual is “easily startled”, always has a feeling of being “on edge”, and has “difficulty sleeping, and/or having anger outburst” (HelpGuide). A combination of these symptoms or only one of them often make it hard for an individual to go about their day to day lives.
2. By looking through the case study, the most prominent problem Sara struggles with, is her persistent worry about different parts of her life including her job status, health and her relationship with her husband. For the past six months, she has been anxious and worried excessively, leading her to have difficulty sleeping. As she admitted, “ I cannot shut my brain off anymore, I am worrying all the time”, therefore her condition met the primary criteria of generalized anxiety disorder which is the excessive worry for at least 6 months more days than not, about diverse events and activities. Being restless, irritable, having sleep difficulty and being easily fatigued are four factors of GAD that are apparent in this case. “I have always had lots of energy but now at times I struggle to get out of bed and drag myself thorough the work day”; it indicates the fatigue she recently experienced. Fidgets with her jewellery when speaking and a nervous laugh she has, shows her persistent anxiety. Moreover, she was recently diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome which has a high comorbidity with anxiety disorders. In conclusion, since she is persistently worried about different aspects of her life and she has the criteria for GAD, generalized anxiety disorder is the most likable disorder she has.
anxiety and panic attacks, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (1). Many of these symptoms cause people to avoid contact with the outside world, thus thrusting them deeper into their fears.
Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). "Symptoms, Treatment, And Self–Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
The onset of Generalized anxiety disorder begins in childhood or adolescents, and It can have a lifetime prevalence of 3-5% with a higher risk in women. One major effect of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is excessive worry or anxiety lasting up to 6 months at a time, although individuals that have Generalized Anxiety Disorder don’t identify their worrying as excessive all of the time, but they will recount subjective distress because of a constant worry, or may have difficulty with control over the worrying, or even experience social impairment. Anxiety can be associated up to 6 symptoms which include inability to sleep, fatigued, lack of concentration, easily agitated, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. Most of which can affect everyday lifestyle and greatly effect physical health, not only can they cause personal distress but may also cause distress in those around.
Bearing in mind that an anxiety response is a result of various factors, there are different types of anxiety disorders. The most common type of anxiety disorders as described as specific phobias, social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder (PD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) (2016), specific phobias affect about 19 million adults in the U.S, while SAD affects 15 million, PD affects 6 million, GAD affects about 6.8 million, OCD affects about 2.2 million and PTSD affects 7.7 million adults respectively. Considering that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S, yet only about one-third of those suffering receive treatment (ADAA, 2016).
Anxiety is a feeling of tension associated with a sense of threat of danger when the source of the danger is not known. In comparison, fear is a feeling of tension that is associated with a known source of danger. I believe it is normal for us to have some mild anxiety present in our daily lives. Everyday that I can think of I have some kind of anxiety though out that day. Anxiety warns us and enables us to get ready for the ‘fight or flight’ response. However, heightened anxiety is emotionally painful. It disrupts a person's daily functioning.
Fear and Anxiety are essential functions that occur in the brain that allow people to respond to stimuli appropriately. These feelings as normal as they are can cause problems and in 3.1 percent of adult Americans approximately 6.8 million people it does cause problems (“Generalized anxiety disorder”, 2014). A problem can arise when people have too much fear and anxiety; a problem is evident when it interferes with their life and their ability to do things. This is known as general anxiety disorder (GAD). When someone is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder they normally experience excessive exaggerated anxiety and worry about normal life events that give no clear reason for worry (“Generalized anxiety disorder”, 2014). This disorder can be debilitating and rule over people’s lives if it is severe and a better understanding of the disorder can be gained by looking at historical views, current views, causes and symptoms, case studies, differential diagnosis considerations, and treatment.
Anxiety is a term for several disorders that causes the body to feel fear, nervousness, apprehension, and worrying, "Anxiety is a word we use for some types of fear that are consequently to do with the thought of a threat or something going wrong in the future, rather than right now" (Mental Health Foundation). Many people suffer from anxiety every day, consequently most people can not pinpoint what exactly their anxiety originates from. No one likes to experience stress and anxiety, but it is just a phase of life that most humans have to overcome and become stronger. Anxiety disorders are one of the most inferior mental illnesses that affects teens and adults in the United States. Anxiety negatively affects the body and
Beck, A. T., & Steer, R. (1993). Beck Anxiety Inventory 1993 Edition. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
What if you woke up every morning with a feeling of dread about getting through the day? What if you were constantly in a state of worry? What if you had spontaneous, uncontrollable panic attacks throughout the day? What if you uncontrollably washed your hands to the point where they bled and cracked? What if you had an anxiety disorder? Anxiety is the most common illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults over the age of 18; that counts for 18% of the U.S. population. However, 22.8% of those cases are counted as severe anxiety.
According to Klasco (2011), psychological disorders "are abnormalities of the mind that result in persistent behavior patterns" that can have an impact on daily tasks and life in general. There are many different groups of psychological disorders, one of those being anxiety disorders, which King (2013) states features "motor tension, hyperactivity, and apprehensive expectations and thoughts" (p. 448). There are also many subgroups of anxiety disorders, including phobic disorders, in which agoraphobia is included in. Agoraphobia is considered a panic disorder because its’ ability to limit people from doing their daily activities.
The BAI consists of 21 descriptive statements of anxiety symptoms. The test taker indicates how often the symptoms have occurred within the last week. The scoring sheet has four columns which are rated on a 4-point scale with the following correspondence: Not at all = 0, Mildly = 1, Moderately = 2, Severely = 3. The test taker marks the appropriate colum...
National Institute of Mental Health. (2009). Studying anxiety disorders. NIH Medline plus, 5, 13-15. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/complete-index.shtml