Anxiety Disorder: Phobias By: Brad Koch, Julian Rios, & Ken Szyszka

Explanation Anxiety: An emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes. Phobias: Something that people have had experiences that can sometimes be traumatic.

Facts 1. Symptoms of certain phobias: Overwhelming panic, heart pounding of pains, trouble breathing, hyperventilation, hot flashes, or shaking. 2. There are two types of symptoms for anxiety; Emotional: Feelings of apprehension, Feeling tense and jumpy, Restlessness or irritability, Anticipating the worst and being watchful for signs of danger. The Physical symptoms are: Pounding or racing heart and shortness of breath, upset stomach, sweating, tremors, twitches, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, and frequent urination. 3. If you have a phobia: you probably realize that your fear cannot be explained, but you still can’t control your feelings of actions. 4. Treatments are: cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, and relaxation techniques like meditation.

Summary of Phobias In our summary we reviewed four articles focusing on phobias. In Article 1, it talks about late-life anxiety and how it has substantial negative consequences, both personal and public effects. The aim of this article is to identify and describe EBTs (evidence-based treatments) for late-life anxiety based on a comprehensive review of the literature. Anxiety disorders and symptoms in older adults are associated with a number of negative consequences and past events.

Summary Continued In Article 2 it was titled A Review of Current Evidence for the Causal Impact of Attentional Bias on Fear and Anxiety. Given the global nature of fear and anxiety disorders, an understanding of the causes of fear and anxiety and the identification of possible vulnerability factors for the development, maintenance, and setback of anxiety disorders are overbearing. There are many cognitive theories of fear and anxiety including: The Schema-Based Theory of Beck and Clark, The Information-Processing Model of Williams, etc.

Summary Continued Article three was called Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Injection Phobia Scale–Anxiety. There was seven studies conducted on this topic. Each theory had a different set of participants, measures, procedures, data analyses, overviews, and results. With each discussion of each study, the psychologists came up with a conclusion which ended his or her theory.

Summary Continued In Article four focused on specific phobias, influential theories, and current perspectives on these phobias. One of the main focuses are that fears are quick and adaptive responses that allow your body to react to possible threats or dangerous situations. Less adaptive, phobias are extreme manifestations of fear to objects or situations in the absence of a comparative danger.

Video The Phobia Workshop

History of Anxiety Recognized in 1980 by the American Psychiatric Association 16 th Century: Thought of as hysteria Civil War: Dr. Jacob Mendez Da Coasta Came up with Irritable heart syndrome Soldiers had shortness of breath, respiratory and digestive disorders Treated with opium and other drugs Da Costa’s findings would have been diagnosed as anxiety Most soldiers in the war suffered from some type of anxiety

History of Phobias Ancient Greece “Morbid Fear” People had phobias for thousands of years Didn’t know what a phobia was – just thought of it as a fear Hippocrates- wrote about a condition in a man named Nicanor Hippocrates didn’t come up with the term phobia 500 years later- Roman doctor named Celsus came up with hydrophobia Word came from the Greek god Phobos Phobos was a frightening and formidable guy