GAD, OCD,
Phobias, Panic
attacks, etc.
Don Inouye
James Drake
Edward Nillo
Sara Nael
Sabrina 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 freefloating.
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
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•
•
•
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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-kontahexaphobia) – 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 nonmedical 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 handwashing. 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).