PSYCHOLOGY
ANXIETY DISORDERS
 Anxiety is usually defined as a diffuse, vague, very
unpleasant feeling of fear and apprehension.
 An anxious person shows
symptoms :
 Rapid heart rate
 Shortness of breath
 Diarrhoea
 Loss of appetite
 Fainting and dizziness
 Sleeplessness
 Frequent urination
 Tremors
combinations of the following
Anxiety disorders include:Generalised anxiety disorder:
 It consists of prolonged,vague,unexplained and intense
fears that are not attached to any particular object.
 Symptoms include worry and apprehensive feelings about
the future ,hypervigilance,which includes constantly
scanning the environment for dangers.It is marked by
motor tension ,as a result of which the person is unable
to relax ,is restless and visibly shaky and tense.
Panic disorders:
 It consists of recurrent anxiety attacks in which the person
experiences intense terror.
 A panic attack denotes an abrupt surge of intense anxiety
rising to a peak when thoughts of a particular stimuli are
present.
 Clinical features incude :shortness of
 breath,dizziness,trembling,
palpitations,choking,nausea,chest pain or discomfort,fear
of going crazy,losing control or dying.
Phobias:
 Phobias can be classified into 3 main types
 Specific phobias
 Social phobias
 Agoraphobia
 Specific phobias include irrational fears such as intense
fear of certain type of animal, or of being in an enclosed
space.
 Intense and incapacitating fear and embarrassment when
dealing with others characterises social phobias.
 Agoraphobia is the term used when people develop a fear
of entering unfamiliar situations.
 In Obsessive-compulsive disorder they are unable to
control their preoccupation with specific ideas or are
unable to prevent themselves from repeatedly carrying
out a particular act or series of acts that affect their ability
to carry out normal activities .
 Obsessive behaviour is the inability to stop thinking about
a particular idea or topic .
 Compulsive behavour is the need to perform certain
behaviours over and over again.Many compulsions deal
with counting,ordering,checking,touching and washing.
 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)are seen in people
who are caught in a natural disaster or have been victms
of bomb blasts by terrorists or been in a serious accident
or in a war-related situaton.
 PTSD symptoms include : recurrent dreams,
flashbacks,impaired concentration and emotional
numbing.
Sample questions
Q1 . Helen seldom leaves her home. She works out of her home office,
has friends visit her at home and has most things delivered to her at
home too. The idea of going to movies, a public park or eating out
scares her. Such symptoms are typical of:a) Obsessive compulsive Disorder
b) Agoraphobia
c) Social Phobia
d) Panic Disorder
Q2. .What are anxiety disorders? Explain the various types of these
disorders
Q3. Ritu’s son works in a call centre. In spite of knowing his odd
hours of returning, she continues to have prolonged, vague and
intense fear, accompanied by hyper vigilance, showing a kind of
anxiety. Identify the type of anxiety she is suffering from?
Q4. Describe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Q5. What are specific phobias?
Q6. State major types of anxiety disorders. Explain
obsessive-compulsive disorders with examples.
Q7.What are PTSD ? What are its causes and symptoms ?