Anxiety and Mood Anxiety and Mood DisordersDisorders

Psychology Grade 12Psychology Grade 12

Ms. RebeccaMs. Rebecca

?’s to answer at the end of the ?’s to answer at the end of the lesson:lesson:

• 1. Define anxiety and describe the different types of anxiety disorders.

• 2. Discuss the biological factors and learning factors that may contribute to anxiety disorders.

• 3. Describe the different types of mood disorders.

• 4. Discuss the biological factors and social-cognitive factors that may contribute to mood disorders.

Anxiety and Mood DisordersAnxiety and Mood Disorders

• 2 of the most common categories fo psychological disorders.

• WARNING: DON’T DIAGNOSE YOURSELF OR OTHERS!

AnxietyAnxiety

• A general state of dread or uneasiness because of vague or imagined danger.

• Different from fear because fear is in response to a REAL danger

AnxietyAnxiety

• Anxiety disorders are one of the most common psychiatric disorders; however it is often completely missed or misdiagnosed. When identified, anxiety disorders are relatively easy to treat.

5 types of Anxiety Disorders5 types of Anxiety Disorders

• 1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Constant tenseness and stress. Sometimes unexplained.

• Diagnosis: Must have 3 of the following symptoms that are NOT attached to a specific event:

• Restlessness• Feeling on edge• Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank• Irritability• Muscle tension• Sleep disturbance

2. Panic Disorder2. Panic Disorder

• Sudden bursts of intense, unexplained panic.

Panic AttackPanic Attack

• A panic attack is characterized by:

“A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached within10 minutes”

Symptoms of Panic AttackSymptoms of Panic Attack

• 1. palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate• 2. sweating• 3. trembling or shaking• 4. sensations of shortness of breath or smothering• 5. feeling of choking• 6. chest pain or discomfort• 7. nausea or abdominal distress• 8. feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint• 9. derealization (feeling of unreality) or depersonalization (being d

etached from oneself)• 10. fear of losing control or going crazy• 11. fear of dying• 12. paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) • 13. chills or hot flashes”

3. Phobic Disorder: 3. Phobic Disorder: fear of fear of thingsthings

• 1. Simple Phobia: an unchanging irrational fear (there’s no reason for it) of an object or situation. Affects a person’s normal life.

A. Most common phobiasA. Most common phobias

• Zoophobia: fear of animals• Claustrophobia: fear of enclosed spaces• Acrophobia: fear of heights• Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders

B. How do people deal with B. How do people deal with phobias?phobias?

• Feel nervous or anxious

• Avoid situations that make them face their fear.

PhobiasPhobias

• Social Phobia- Fear of social situations (ex: eating in public, speaking in public, dating)

PhobiasPhobias Agoraphobia- fear of being in places or situations where escape may be difficult or impossible. (ex: shopping malls, buses, movie theatres and other crowded public places)•Most people with agoraphobia have panic attacks when they can’t avoid the places they fear.

4. 4. Obsessive Compulsive Obsessive Compulsive DisorderDisorder

• Obsessions: “thoughts, ideas or mental images that occur over and over again” in someone’s mind.

• Compulsions: repetitive ritual behaviors often involving checking or cleaning something

• Need to perform rituals to avoid anxiety

Obsessive Compulsive DisorderObsessive Compulsive Disorder

• Examples:• People who are obsessed with doubts

about locking the door every night before bed. He/she checks and rechecks every door and window before he/she can sleep each night.

• Washing hands many many times a day• One woman reported to have washing her

hands up to 500 times a day!

5. 5. Post Traumatic Stress Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Disorder (PTSD)

Intense, constant feelings of anxiety that are caused by a very traumatic event. Ex: Rape, severe child abuse, car accident, natural disaster, war

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post Traumatic Stress Disorder SymptomsSymptoms

• - flashbacks

• - nightmares about the trauma

• - numbness of feelings

• - avoidance of things that remind someone of traumatic experiences

• - increased tension, which may lead to problems sleeping, irritability, poor concentration etc.

Causes of Anxiety DisordersCauses of Anxiety Disorders

• Nature vs. Nurture

Biological FactorsBiological Factors

• Heredity-inherit predisposition for developing anxiety disorders.

Brain FunctionBrain Function

• Brains of people with anxiety disorders function differently!

• OCD: higher activity in frontal lobes (decision making) and amygdala (emotion center)

EvolutionEvolution

• We fear situations that were dangerous to early humans. Ex: more people fear snakes than cars even though cars kill more people!

Learning FactorsLearning Factors

Conditioned or learned in childhood, especially during a traumatic event:

Little Albert

ReinforcementReinforcement

• Avoid fear=reduced anxiety!

• Problem: fear never gets reduced if you never face it.

Mood DisordersMood Disorders

• Mood changes = normal

• Mood changes that don’t really fit with a situation may have mood disorder

A. 2 Categories of Mood Disorder:A. 2 Categories of Mood Disorder:

• 1. Depression

• 2. Bipolar disorder

1. 1. DepressionDepression

• Very common.

• Estimated that 8-18 % of world populations will have depression in their lifetime.

Major Depression Major Depression symptomssymptoms

Diagnosed when a person has at least 5 of the following 9 symptoms for at least 2 weeks ALMOST every day!

- Constant depressed mood for most of the day- Loss of interest in all, or almost all activities- -significant weight loss or gain due to changes in appetite- Sleeping more or less than usual- Speeding up or slowing down of physical and emotional reactions- Loss of energy, constantly tired- Feelings of being worthless or guilty for no reason- Inability to concentrate or make decisions- Thoughts of death or suicide

These symptoms…These symptoms…

• Must impair functioning or produce distress. May have no apparent trigger

Bipolar DisorderBipolar Disorder

• People with this disorder had dramatic ups and downs in their mood.

• Extreme happiness and exciting behavior can change to extreme sadness and depression for no clear reason

Bipolar DisorderBipolar Disorder

• Symptoms also may include:

• - inflated self-esteem

• - inability to sit still or sleep

• - pressure to keep talking and switching from topic to topic

• Racing thoughts

• Difficulty concentrating

Famous people who had bipolar Famous people who had bipolar disorderdisorder

• Mark Twain and Vincent Van Gogh!

Serious problems associatedSerious problems associated

• Suicide

Causes of Mood DisordersCauses of Mood Disorders

• Biology AND Environment

BiologyBiology

• Heredity and altered brain function

Social Cognitive FactorsSocial Cognitive Factors

• The way we think, the situations we are in, and the way we feel can all actually affect brain chemistry!

More Social Cognitive More Social Cognitive ExplanationsExplanations

• Learned Helplessness: can happen when people experience unpleasant events out of their control. They give up trying because they have learned that it will not help.

AttributionsAttributions

• Trying to explain things when they go wrong. People with Depression are more likely to make the following attributions:

Stable:Stable:

• A bad situation will last a LONG time.

InternalInternal

• This happened because of MY actions.

GlobalGlobal

• This applies to many areas of my life.

Example:Example:

• Someone gets dumped…..

Vicious CycleVicious Cycle

• Combining biological and social cognitive factors, people can get into a vicious cycle of depression.

?’s to answer at the end of the ?’s to answer at the end of the lesson:lesson:

• 1. Define anxiety and describe the different types of anxiety disorders.

• 2. Discuss the biological factors and learning factors that may contribute to anxiety disorders.

• 3. Describe the different types of mood disorders.

• 4. Discuss the biological factors and social-cognitive factors that may contribute to mood disorders.