AO1

• What is a phobia?

  An irrational fear of an object or situation
• Behavioural:


  Ways in which people act
• Emotional:


  Ways in which people feel
• Cognitive:

  Refers to the process of thinking - knowing, perceiving, believing
• What are all phobias characterised by?

  By excessive fear and anxiety, triggered by an object, place or situation. The extent of the fear is out of proportion to any real danger presented by the phobic stimulus.

  DSM recognises the following categories of phobia and related anxiety disorder:

  • Specific phobia: phobia of an object, such as an animal or body part, or a situation such as flying or having an injection
  • Social anxiety (social phobia): phobia of a social situation such as public speaking or using a public toilet
  • Agoraphobia: phobia of being outside or in a public place
• What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?

  • Anxiety
  • Example: arachnophobia
  • Emotional responses are unreasonable
• What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?

  • Panic
  • Avoidance
  • Endurance
• What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?

  • Selective attention to the phobic stimulus
  • Irrational beliefs
  • Cognitive distortions
• What is depression?

  A mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels
• What are all forms of depression & depressive disorders characterised by?

  Changes to mood.

  • Major depressive disorder: severe but often short-term depression
  • Persistent depressive disorder: long-term or recurring depression, including sustained major depression and what used to be called dysthymia
  • Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: childhood temper tantrums
  • Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: disruption to mood prior to and/or during menstruation
• What are the emotional characteristics of depression?

  • Lowered mood
  • Anger
  • Lowered self-esteem
• What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?

  Behaviour changes when we suffer an episode of depression.

  • Activity levels
  • Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour
  • Aggression and self-harm
• What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

  The ways in which people process information. People suffering from depression or who have suffered depression tend to process information about several aspects of the world quite differently from the 'normal' ways that people without depression think.

  • Poor concentration
  • Attending to and dwelling on the negative
  • Absolutist thinking
• What is OCD? (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

  A condition characterised by obsessions and/or compulsive behaviour.

  The DSM recognises OCD and a range of related disorders. They all have common: repetitive behaviour accompanied by obsessive behaviour:

  • OCD
  • Hoarding disorder
  • Trichotillomania
  • Excoriation disorder
• What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?

  • Anxiety and distress
  • Accompanying depression
  • Guilt and disgust
• What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?

  • Compulsions: 2 elements to compulsive behaviour:

  1)Compulsions are repetitive

  2)Compulsions reduce anxiety

  • Avoidance
• What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?

  The ways in which people process information. People suffering from OCD are usually plagued with obsessive thoughts but they also adopt cognitive strategies to deal with these:

  • Obsessive thoughts
  • Cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions
  • Insight into excessive anxiety