Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Characterized by excessive anxiety under most circumstances and worry about practically anything

Symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, and/or sleep problems

Symptoms must be present for at least 6 months

Phobic Disorder

Persistent and unreasonable fears involving particular objects, activities, or situations

When exposed to the object/situation, immediate fear reaction occurs

Most common: animals/insects, heights, blood, etc.

Usually treated with systemic desensitization (real life exposure or imaginative exposure)

Agoraphobia

Fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or impossible

People with agoraphobia tend to avoid crowded places, driving and public transportation

A lot of serious cases, patient is unwilling to leave safety of their own home

Social Anxiety Disorder

Severe, persistent, and irrational fears of social or performance situations in which scrutiny by others and embarrassment may occur 

Sufferers of this disorder my have unrealistically high social standards and/or views themselves as unattractive and socially unskilled

Can be treated with antideppressants, psychotherapy and social skills training

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Presence of obsessions and compulsions to calm the obsessions. Obsessions and compulsions also are time-consuming and may cause significant distress

Obsessions are persistent thoughts or ideas that invade a person's consciousness

Compulsions are repetitive and rigid behaviors or mental acts that people feel obligated to perform to reduce anxiety

What are some Obsessive-Compulsive-Related Disorders?

Hoarding Disorder

Trichotillomania (Hair-pulling disorder)

Excoriation (Skin-picking disorder)

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Acute Stress Disorder

Symptoms begin within four weeks of a traumatic event and last for less than one month

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Symptoms may begin either shortly after the event, or months/years afterward and symptoms last longer than a month

As much as 80% of Acute Stress Disorder cases develop into PTSD

Recurrence of distressing memories, dreams of the event, flashbacks, change in mood and avoidance of stimuli related to the event are symptoms

Major Depressive Disorder

a period of two or more weeks marked by five or more symptoms of depression:

Depressed mood nearly every day          Fatigue/Loss of energy

Diminished interest in pleasurable           Feelings of Worthlessness

activities or anhedonia

Weight loss/gain or change in apetite       Diminished Concentration

                                                         or indecisiveness

Insomnia or hypersomnia

                                                         Recurrent thoughts of     Psychomotor retardation or agitation        death/suicide

Very Dibillitating and do not have a history of mania

Dysthymic Disorder

Individuals who experience a longer-lasting (at least two years) symptoms, but a less disabling pattern of depression

May only show smaller amount of symptoms as well (only up to three symptoms)

Pre-menstrual Dysphoric Disorder

A diagnosis given to women who repeatedly experience clinically significant depressive symptoms during the week before menstruation

Disruptive Mood Regulation Disorder

Characterized by a combination of persistent depressive symptoms and recurrent outbursts of severe temper and anger

Manic Episode

Elevated, expansive, irritable mood for one week

Must show 3 or more symptoms:

• Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity 
• Decreased need for sleep
• More talkative or pressured speech
• Flight of ideas or racing thoughts
• Distractibility
• Increased in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation
• Increased involvement in dangerous pleasurable activities

Must Cause Impairment

Hypomanic Episode

Elevated, expansive, irritable mood for four days

Three or more of the Manic Symptoms

Does Not Cause Distress

Bipolar I

 One or more occurences of Manic episodes 

One or more Major Depressive episodes

Most common form of Bipolar Mood Disorder

Bipolar II

One or more Major Depressive Episodes

One (or more) Hypomanic episodes

NEVER a Manic episode

Cyclothymic Disorder

For two years, numerous hypomanic episodes and depressive symptoms that do not meet criteria for Major Depressive Episodes

Not longer than two months without symptoms

Hint: Dysthymic Disorder+Hypomanic Episodes

Illness Anxiety Disorder

Fear of having an illness based on misinterpretation of bodily sensations, despite reassurance

Disease conviction is at the core 

Sufferer focuses on symptoms, may know medical terminology and "doctor shops" for other opinions. Also will consider invasive tests to find out the "problem"

Somatic Symptom Disorder

Presence of one or more somatic symptoms that are distressing, but there is no medical basis for the symptoms being expressed. Symptoms are exaggerated. Concern is for the symptoms and not what they mean

Two patterns:

Somatization- pain, gastrointestinal, sexual, and neurological symptoms are all present in some way

Predominant pain- pain is the primary/only symptom shown

Conversion Disorder

Symptoms or deficits involving voluntary motor or sensory functioning suggesting neurological impairment, but organs and nervous system are intact.

Symptoms can include paralysis, loss of sensation, tingling/prickling, blindness, or seizure

La belle indifference (a lack of concern to what the symptoms mean) used to be a hallmark symptom 

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Preoccupation with a defect in one's own appearance

Defect is either imagined or out of proportion

Frequent checking, excessive grooming, isolation, marital distress, etc. are symptoms

Some seek surgery to correct the "problem", but surgery never really helps because it is an idea in there head

Factitious Disorder

Deliberate feigning and/or production of physical or psychological symptoms

NOT Malingering:

Malingerers have a secondary gain for faking illness (avoid jail time, monetary gain, avoid responsibility), while people with factitious disorder do not have a secondary gain

Munchausen's Syndrome

Production of illness or symptoms on oneself

Part of Factitious Disorder

Munchausen's by Proxy Syndrome

Fabrication of illness or symptoms on someone else

Usually between a parent/parents and child/children (child abuse)

Part of Factitious Disorder

Depersonalization Disorder

Alteration in perception/experience of one's conscious self. Feeling of detachment from one's body, as if an outside observer of one's mental processes or body.

Feeling is unreal and discontinuous from previous state

Feel AS IF things were different, but person has no memory loss. Diminished emotional responsivity, Deja vu and Jamais vu are common symptoms.

Dissociative Amnesia

Inability to recall important personal information, usually happening after a stressful event.

Four forms of psychogenic amnesia:

Localized- memory loss of a traumatic event (most common)    

Selective- remembers some of event, but not all of the even     

Generalized- transitory loss of memory for entire life               

Continuous- inability to form new memories that follow an event

Loss of memory is usually not permanent

Dissociative Fugue

Psychogenic amnesia where a person loses their identity and a physical relocation of the person occurs

In rare cases, a person might even form a new identity

Latin word fuga, meaning flight

Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)

 two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in—and alternately take control of—an individual. The person also experiences memory loss that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary circumstances.

Host- Personality that dominates person's functioning 

Alters- Different identities

Switch- Transition from one personality to another

A specific form of treatment is to try to integrate the alters into a single personality (treatment called fusion)

Panic Attack

Panic attacks are periodic, short bouts of panic that occur suddenly, reach a peak, and pass

Sufferers often fear they will die, go crazy, or lose control

Attacks happen in the absence of a real threat

Panic attacks considered "normal"; only a disorder if panic attacks occur frequently

Panic Disorder

Recurrent unexpected panic attacks

Panic attacks have to continue for at least a month, and person has to show worry about having another attack or have significant maladaptive changes in behavior related to the attacks