1. Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders Fearing the World Around Us

2. Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders Learning Objectives: 1.Outline and describe the different types of anxiety disorders. 2.Outline and describe the different types of dissociative disorders. 3.Explain the biological and environmental causes of anxiety and dissociative disorders.

3. Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders The nervousness or agitation that we sometimes experience, often about something that is going to happen Associated with the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the responses that help protect us from danger Psychological disturbances marked by irrational fears, often of everyday objects and situations anxietyanxiety disorders

4. Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders anxiety disorders generalized anxiety disorder panic disorderphobias obsessive- compulsive disorder posttraumatic stress disorder

5. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) general anxiety disorder (GAD) – a disorder in which a person has been worrying excessively about money, health, work, family life, or relationships for at least 6 months, even though she knows that the concerns are exaggerated, and in which the anxiety causes significant distress and dysfunction may entail a variety of physical symptoms, including irritability, sleep troubles, difficulty concentrating, muscle aches, trembling, perspiration, and hot flashes 10 million Americans suffer from GAD; about 2/3 are women most likely to develop between the ages of 7 and 40

6. Panic Disorder panic disorder – a disorder characterized by sudden attacks of anxiety and terror that have led to significant behavioral changes in the person’s life symptoms include shortness of breath, heart palpitations, trembling, dizziness, choking sensations, nausea, and an intense feeling of dread or impending doom attacks last from 1-20 minutes, but usually peak and subside within about 10 minutes. affects about 3% of the population in a given year

7. Phobias phobia – a specific fear of a certain object, situation, or activity – social phobia extreme shyness around people or discomfort in social situations – agoraphobia anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or in which help may not be available Phobias affect about 9% of American adults, and are about twice as prevalent in women as in men.

8. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – a disorder diagnosed when an individual continuously experiences distressing or frightening thoughts, and engages in obsessions (repetitive thoughts) or compulsions (repetitive behaviors) in an attempt to calm these thoughts OCD has a low prevalence rate (about 1% of the population in a given year), and usually develops in adolescence or early adulthood.

9. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – high levels of anxiety along with reexperiencing the trauma (flashbacks), and a strong desire to avoid any reminders of the event affects about 5 million Americans, including victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina – 16% of Iraq war veterans report experiencing PTSD symptoms a frequent outcome of childhood or adult sexual abuse women are more likely to develop PTSD than men.

10. Dissociative Disorders dissociative disorder – a condition that involves disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, and identity often a defense against trauma

11. Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders dissociative disorders dissociative amnesia dissociative fugue dissociative identity disorder

12. Dissociative Amnesia and Fugue Involves extensive, but selective, memory loss in which there is no physiological explanation for the forgetting Normally brought on by a trauma A disorder in which an individual loses complete memory of her identity and may even assume a new one, often far from home Recovery is often rapid, but the individual may have no memory of the event that triggered the fugue or of events that occurred during the fugue. dissociative amnesiadissociative fugue

13. Dissociative Identity Disorder dissociative identity disorder – disorder in which two or more distinct personalities exist in the same person, and in which there is an extreme memory disruption regarding personal information about the other personalities – host personality the personality in control of the body most of the time – alter personalities tend to differ from each other in age, race, gender, language, manners, and even sexual orientation

14. Dissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative disorders are rare and most frequently seen in adolescents and young adults. Researchers question the legitimacy of the disorders, especially dissociative identity disorder.

15. Explaining Anxiety and Dissociation Disorders Anxiety disorders reflect “nature.” Anxiety disorders reflect “nurture.” conditioning processes traumatic events childhood abuse brain differences genetic markers

16. Explaining Anxiety and Dissociation Disorders Dissociative disorders seem to be almost entirely environmentally determined. – Severe emotional trauma during childhood coupled with a strong stressor is usually cited as the underlying cause.

17. Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders Key Takeaways – Anxiety is a natural part of life, but too much anxiety can be debilitating. Every year millions of people suffer from anxiety disorders. – People who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder experience anxiety, as well as a variety of physical symptoms. – Panic disorder involves the experience of panic attacks, including shortness of breath, heart palpitations, trembling, and dizziness. – Phobias are specific fears of a certain object, situation, or activity. Phobias are characterized by their specificity and their irrationality.

18. Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders Key Takeaways, continued – A common phobia is social phobia, extreme shyness around people or discomfort in social situations. – Obsessive-compulsive disorder is diagnosed when a person’s repetitive thoughts are so disturbing and their compulsive behaviors so time consuming that they cause distress and significant disruption in a person’s everyday life. – People who have survived a terrible ordeal, such as combat, torture, rape, imprisonment, abuse, natural disasters, or the death of someone close to them, may develop PTSD.

19. Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders Key Takeaways, continued – Dissociative disorders, including dissociative amnesia and dissociative fugue, are conditions that involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, and identity. The dissociation is used as a defense against the trauma. – Dissociative identity disorder, in which two or more distinct and individual personalities exist in the same person, is relatively rare and difficult to diagnose. – Both nature and nurture contribute to the development of anxiety disorders.