1. ANXIETY DISORDERS

2. PANIC DISORDERS AND AGORAPHOBIA  People experience panic attacks at uncontrollable times and in uncontrollable situations Can lead to agoraphobia – fear of being out in public and having another panic attack

3. CAUSES: LEARNING PERSPECTIVE  Conditioning: Anxiety disorders can be learned from a traumatic event Remember Little Albert? 58% of those with social phobia experienced their disorder after a traumatic event Learning principles important in anxiety disorders Generalization is important Reinforcement: helps maintain our phobias and compulsions When we escape our anxiety, we will continue to do that in the future  Observational Learning: Human parents often transmit fears to their children

4. CAUSES: BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE  Natural Selection We are prone to be afraid of spiders, heights, storms, darkness, close spaces, certain animals Common compulsive behaviors have contributed to survival Grooming (hair-pulling), washing up (ritual hand washing), checking territorial boundaries (rechecking)  Genes Gene that affects levels of serotonin Genes that regulate glutamate (too much glutamate = overactive alarm centers in brain)

5. BIO CAUSES CONT.  The Brain All anxiety disorders show an overarousal of brain areas involved in impulse control and habitual behaviors Anterior cingulate cortex: monitors our actions and checks for errors – very active in OCD Fear circuits in the amygdala created after experiences