Anxiety

• Anxiety is the fear about the potential of something happening, it becomes a disorder when its continous and too severe
• Trail Anxiety- general level of anxiety

  Sate Anxiiety- anxiety variations as affected by situations
• Psychodynamic theory;

  Freud believed a neurosis was caused by the inability of ego defense mechanisms to prevent anxiety aroused by unconscious conflicts

  Humans seek to reduce anxiety through defense mechanisms
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD);

  Free floating anxiety or chronic and persistant anxiety

  Most commonly appears in childhood

  Symptoms; muscular tension, autonomic hyperactivity

  Bio expl- there is a genetic basis that increases sensitivity to anxiety which might require readjusting using drugs
• Panic Disorders:

  panic attacks are periodic discrete bounts of panic that occur abruptly

  symptoms- palpitations, tingling in hands and feet, shortness of breath

  Bio Expl- noreadrenaline levels are high due to a overly sensitive amygdala and dysfunctional hypothalamic pituary adrenal axis system
• Obssesive complusive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts and complusions
• obessions-

  persistant thoughts

  may involve past or future

  Cross culturally

  Complusions-

  compelled to perform behvaiours or acts

  compulsive rituals are detailed and elaborate
• Behavioural explanation of OCD-

  People develop compulsions incidentally at first, in a fearful situation they coincidentally perform a certain act. When the threat lifts they link the improvement to that particular action

  After repeated accidental associations, patients believe that the action is bringing them a positive outcome.

  the act becomes a key method of avoiding or reducing general anxiety.
• Treatments for anxiety:

  • Alternative nostril breathing
  • Progressive muscle relaxation
  • Pursed lip breathing