GAD, OCD, Phobias, Panic attacks, etc.

Don InouyeJames DrakeEdward Nillo

Sara NaelSabrina Lippelgoos

Period five

GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

• What is generalized anxiety disorder?

• An anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal.

What are the symptoms of GAD?

•tense and jittery •muscular tension •sleeplessness •worried about various bad things that MIGHT happen•concentration is difficult• tension and apprehension may leak out through furrowed brows, twitching eyelids, trembling, perspiration, or fidgeting.•Can't identify the problem therefore can not deal with or avoid the cause.

What are the causes of GAD?

•GAD is often accompanied by depression, but even without depression it tends to be disabling.•May lead to physical problems, such as ulcers and high blood pressure.•It may involve naturally occurring brain chemicals (neurotransmitters), such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. It's likely that the condition has several causes that may include genetics, your life experiences and stress.

What are the DSM-IV criteria for GAD?

1. Person finds it difficult to control the worry.2.Excessive anxiety and worry, occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about number event or activities. Such as work or school performances.3. The anxiety and worry are associated with three or more of the following six symptoms:

• restlessness or feeling keyed or in edge• being easily fatigued•difficulty concentrating or mind going blank• irritability•muscle tension•sleep disturbance

4. The focus of the anxiety and worry is not confined to features of an Axis one disorder. For example, the anxiety or worry is not about having a panic attack or being embarrassed in public.5. The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. 6. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition and does not occur exclusively during a Mood Disorder, a Psychotic Disorder or a Pervasive Development Disorder.

Other relevant information for GAD:

• 2/3 of women have this disorder

• Sigmund Freud's term for anxiety is free-floating.

Phobias• Phobia meaning “fear” or “morbid fear” • is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation

in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational.

• Phobias focus anxiety on a specific object, activity, or situation. It is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational

• People with phobias tend to avoid a scenario that puts them in a situation that causes anxiety.

• An example would be someone who is afraid of thunder, that person would stay in a confined place with no windows or go under a blanket to avoid seeing thunder.

• However, if the situation is unavoidable, people with phobias endure the situation or object with marked distress and significant interference in social or occupational activities.

Social Phobias

• A Social Phobia is a persistent and irrational fear of

situations that may involve scrutiny or judgment by others, such as parties and other social events.

• Examples of social phobias may include speaking or performing in front of peers, going to parties, or even using public bathrooms.

• Social phobias can lead to individuals being extremely introverted and quiet.

Treatments • There are various treatments to phobias, some therapists use

virtual reality or imagery exercise to desensitize patients to the feared entity.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy can also be beneficial, it allows the patient to challenge dysfunctional thoughts or beliefs by being mindful of their own feelings with the aim that the patient will realize their fear is irrational.

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been demonstrated in peer-reviewed clinical trials to be effective in treating some phobias, it works by easing phobia symptoms following a specific trauma, such as a fear of dogs following a dog bite.

Weird Phobias

• Phobophobia – fear of phobias• Spectrophobia – fear of own reflection• Ereuthophobia – The fear of red lights• Sitophobia – The fear of eating• Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia

(pronounced: hexa-koseeoi-hexe-konta-hexaphobia) – Fear of the ‘number 666’

Common Phobias• Acrophobia - Fear of Heights

– Acrophobia is a generalized fear of all heights. This distinguishes it from aerophobia (fear of flying) and other more specified phobias.• Acrophobia is sometimes confused with vertigo. Vertigo is a physical condition that

causes dizziness or disorientation when looking down from a great height. A fear of developing vertigo symptoms at height is not acrophobia.

• Claustrophobia - Fear of Enclosed Spaces– Claustrophobia can range from mild to severe. In severe cases, the sufferer may

develop anxiety from simply closing a bedroom door.• Many sufferers find that their claustrophobia is specifically triggered by certain

common situations such as entering an elevator or riding in an airplane. Some people discover undiagnosed claustrophobia when undergoing an MRI.

• Nyctophobia - Fear of the Dark– This fear is common and generally transient in children. If it persists for longer

than six months and causes extreme anxiety, however, it may be diagnosed as a phobia. It is less common in adults.

Common Phobias Continued• Ophidiophobia - Fear of Snakes

– Ophidiophobia refers specifically to snakes. If other reptiles are also feared, then the more general herpetophobia (fear of reptiles) is used.• People who suffer from this phobia are not only afraid of touching snakes. They also

show fear when viewing pictures of snakes or even talking about them.

• Trypanophobia - Fear of Injection or Medical Needles– Trypanophobia is a medical phobia. A more general fear of non-medical needles

is known as aichmophobia.• Trypanophobia may result in serious physiological responses including very low blood

pressure and fainting. In some cases, severe trypanophobia may lead the sufferer to avoid all medical care.

• Astraphobia - Fear of Thunder and Lightning– This is a common fear among children. If it is severe and continues for longer

than six months, however, then a phobia may be diagnosed.• Both adults and children tend to deal with the fear by seeking “shelter,” securing

themselves in windowless areas where the storm cannot be seen.

More Common Phobias• Nosophobia - Fear of Having a Disease

– Nosophobia is the irrational fear of developing a specific disease. Hypochondriasis is a related disorder marked by the persistent fear of having an unspecified disease. Sufferers of either disorder may become frequent visitors of the doctor’s office, or may instead develop an avoidance of doctors for fear of hearing bad news.

• Mysophobia AKA Germophobia - Fear of Germs– This is an intense fear of becoming contaminated by germs. It is related to

obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is often marked by repetitive hand-washing. However, for OCD sufferers the focus is on the act of hand-washing itself, while mysophobia sufferers wash hands to remove the contamination.

• Triskaidekaphobia - Fear of the Number 13– There is some controversy regarding triskaidekaphobia, as many experts see it as

a superstition rather than a legitimate phobia. Nonetheless, triskaidekaphobia is so pervasive in Western culture that it has actually influenced the modern world.

OCD, PTSD, and SAD

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Avoidance of dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination.

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Avoidance of stimuli associated with a severe stressor.

• Separation Anxiety Disorder: Avoidance of leaving home or family.

Panic Attacks

• Victims have recurrent unexpected panic attacks.• At least 1 of these attacks have been followed by 1

month (or more) of 1 (or more) of…– Persistent concern of having another attack.– Worry about the implications of the attack or its

consequences (losing control, heart attack, or “going crazy”)

• Panic attacks are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (drug of abuse, medication) or a general medical condition (hyperthyroidism).