(Main lecture): Generalized anxiety disorder

64 important questions on (Main lecture): Generalized anxiety disorder

What is the prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

- Latest onset among anxiety disorders in the beginning/mid 30s
- Peak around 50s for females
- More common in the South compared to depression
- Difficult to differentiate from depression due to shared symptoms and genetic vulnerabilities

Why is it difficult to treat GAD?

- Most comorbid disorder among anxiety disorders
- 90% have another disorder, such as major depression
- Due to similar genetic vulnerabilities and symptom overlap

What are worries in GAD characterized by?

- Chains of thoughts concerning future catastrophes
- Verbal worries
- Dysfunctional problem-solving
- Worries about health, family, professional concerns, and daily hassles
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

What sets people with GAD apart in terms of worrying?

- Worries are chains of thoughts about future catastrophes
- Worries are predominantly verbal
- Problem-solving abilities are dysfunctional
- Worries can last much longer than in non-GAD individuals

What is the main reason people with GAD often delay seeking help?

- Difficulty in determining when worry is excessive
- Report sleep problems, stress, and anxiety, rather than excessive worry
- Lack of physiological fight-flight response due to unclear triggers

Why is Generalized Anxiety Disorder challenging to differentiate from depression?

- GAD and depression share symptoms and genetic vulnerabilities
- Similar genetic vulnerabilities lead to some overlap in symptoms
- Difficulty arises in distinguishing between the two disorders

What is the primary focus of worries for people with GAD?

- People with GAD worry about health, family, professional concerns, daily hassles
- Relationships, health, finances, religion/politics are commonly worried about
- Daily hassles are the most focused worry category

Why does GAD peak in females around their 50s?

- Possibly due to hormonal changes during menopause
- Life changes like children leaving home lead to empty nest syndrome
- Pregnancy can also be a factor in the peak of GAD

How does the prevalence of GAD compare to depression globally?

- Depression is more common than GAD worldwide
- GAD is slightly more common in the South than depression
- Northern regions exhibit more cases of depression due to factors like less light and increased loneliness

What contributes to the difficulty of treating GAD effectively?

- GAD is the most comorbid disorder among anxiety disorders
- 90% of individuals with GAD have another co-occurring disorder
- Major depression is common in individuals with GAD due to shared genetic vulnerabilities and symptoms

What is the typical starting age for Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

- GAD onset usually occurs in the beginning/mid 30s
- This is the latest onset among anxiety disorders
- The disorder may peak around the 50s, particularly in females due to various life changes

What are some physical symptoms experienced by individuals with GAD?

- Fatigue is a common physical symptom of GAD
- Individuals may feel tense and have difficulty concentrating

How does worry content in GAD differ from non-GAD individuals?

- Individuals with GAD worry significantly more about relationships, health, finances, religion/politics, and daily hassles
- While the content may be similar, the duration of worries is notably longer in GAD

What are the characteristics of worries in people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

- Excessive
- Unwanted
- Not unrealistic
- Not more triggered

How do worries of people with GAD differ from those in OCD?

- Should not give strange vibes
- Not usually OCD

Why is it difficult to treat people with GAD?

- Distract themselves a lot
- Quickly find new things to worry about

What is critical for the maintenance of worries according to the model of GAD?

- Meta-worry (worry about worrying) is critical.
- Type-II-worries lead to attempts to control worry.
- Controlling worries can increase them.

What is the focus of therapy in the model of GAD by Wells?

- The focus is not on the worries themselves.
- It is on the meta-beliefs about worry.

How does the model of GAD illustrate the process triggered by a son leaving home by car?

- Son leaving home is a trigger.
- Leads to a series of worries about safety.
- Results in efforts to control these worries.

What are the consequences of trying to control worries in the GAD model?

- Attempts to control can make worries stronger.
- Can cause restlessness, panic, anxiety, and discomfort.

What is the sequence of worry types in the GAD model?

- A trigger leads to Type 1 Worry.
- Negative meta-beliefs activate Type 2 Worry (meta-worry).

How does behavior and emotion relate to Type 2 worry in the GAD model?

- Type 2 worry affects behavior and emotion.
- It is associated with thought control efforts.

What activates positive meta-beliefs related to worry?

- Trigger that connects worry with being a good mother or feeling prepared

What triggers the activation of negative meta-beliefs?

- Positive meta-beliefs trigger the negative beliefs leading to Type-II-worries

What are the diagnosis criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

- A: Excessive anxiety for at least six months; B: Difficulty controlling worries; C: Three out of six symptoms

Which symptoms are most common in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

- Being tense and experiencing muscle tension

What are common symptoms associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

- Common symptoms include restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance.

What are some symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

• Hypervigilance
• Tensions
• Fatigue
• Nervousness
• Sleep problems
• Abdominal problems

How are worries in GAD different from worries in Major Depression (MD)?

• Worries in GAD are realistic.
• Worries in MD involve anhedonia and negative self-thoughts.

What are some symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)?

• Post-event processing
• Fear of negative evaluation
• Palpitations
• Sweating
• Blushing

What are some symptoms of Panic Disorder (PD)?

• Worries about more panic attacks
• Fear of death/loss of control
• Palpitations
• Sweating
• Blushing

What is a key difference between Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

• SAD is more directed at the past, while GAD is more about the future.

What behavior is common in individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

• Reassurance behavior like asking others if things will go well.
• Safety behavior such as avoidance actions, often covert.

How are worries often presented in individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

• Worries are often presented in worry chains, transitioning from one worry to the next.

What central processes are involved in uncontrollable worries based on the information?

• Uncontrollable worries are likely due to thought suppression intensifying unwanted thoughts.

How can worries be used as a form of cognitive avoidance?

• Worries can be used in worry chains or by focusing on words rather than images.

What is a possible reason behind the tendency to intensify unwanted thoughts when suppressing them?

• Intensification of unwanted thoughts occurs due to the perception of acute danger.

What is the role of worries in downregulating emotions, as mentioned in the provided information?

• Worries can be used as cognitive avoidance to downregulate emotions temporarily.

According to the text, why is it important for individuals to acknowledge and feel their emotions?

• Feeling emotions is crucial as worry can disrupt emotional experiences.

What is the significance of understanding the implications of intense emotions according to the provided text?

• Understanding intense emotions helps individuals avoid relying on worry to suppress emotions.

Why are genetic components less likely to play a significant role in the development of Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

• There is little evidence supporting a genetic component, suggesting environmental causes.

What is highlighted as the least researched disorder among Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Major Depression (MD)?

• GAD is mentioned as the least researched disorder among GAD and MD.

What emotional state do people with GAD avoid by worrying?

- Lower heart rate variability
- Avoidance of emotional topics
- Reduced emotional load

According to the research, what do people with GAD typically not focus on?

- Lack of detail consideration
- Avoidance of imagination in pictures

What is shown in the simplified model of the consolidation of the worrying process?

- The worrying process involves control attempts and negative reinforcement.
- It results in reduced physiological activity and concrete thinking.
- There is no habituation or emotional processing.

What is the key finding regarding effect sizes in psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy?

- Psychotherapy had medium to large effect sizes
- Pharmacotherapy had small effect sizes
- Younger patients benefit more

What important factor was highlighted in relation to post-measurements for clients undergoing therapeutic interventions?

- Post-measurements determine client progress and well-being

Which therapeutic approaches were found to yield the best results based on the meta-analysis?

- Cognitive therapy
- Applied relaxation
- Cognitive behavioral therapy

What was the conclusion drawn about the superiority of psychotherapeutic treatments over waiting control groups?

- All psychotherapeutic treatments are superior
- Cognitive behavioral therapy has the best outcomes

How were the overall results of therapeutic interventions for GAD described in comparison to other anxiety disorders?

- Overall results for GAD are less promising than other anxiety disorders

How do people with GAD respond to exposure and applied relaxation?

- People with GAD respond well to both exposure and applied relaxation.
- These therapies are also effective for depression, even without direct targeting.

What should the focus be for targeting within therapeutic interventions for GAD?

- Meta-cognitions are difficult to target in therapy.
- The focus should be on intolerance of uncertainty rather than meta-cognitions.

What other technique is mentioned, and how does it compare to applied relaxation?

- Mindfulness is considered okay compared to applied relaxation.
- Applied relaxation shows mixed results in its effectiveness.

What is recommended when choosing techniques for therapy?

- It is recommended to choose one technique and not use multiple techniques.
- Some techniques may contradict each other.

What does the bar chart indicate about the effects of different treatments on measures of anxiety and depression?

- The chart shows pre- and post-treatment scores for HAMA somatic and psychological anxiety, and HAMD depression.
- Applied relaxation (AR) and exposure (Exp.) both reduce symptoms.

What is the rationale behind worry exposure in sensu?

- Distraction and avoidance maintain anxiety and worry long-term
- Intensive dealing with worries reduces anxiety permanently

What is an example of a stimulus-script in worry exposure therapy?

- Describing waiting outside the boss's door and anticipating a negative outcome

What are some key steps in the implementation of worry exposure therapy?

1. Conduct worry exposition
2. Discuss worry exposition
3. Repeat and talk about it
4. Assign homework
5. Create a cassette for home use

How can worry scripts be utilized in worry exposure therapy?

- They can be either stimulus-related or response-related to provoke anxious feelings

In worry exposure therapy, what is the importance of violating expectancy?

- It is important to challenge positive beliefs to reduce anxiety (e.g., saying "I cannot handle my emotions.")

Why is distraction seen as a short-term solution for anxiety and worries?

- Distraction and avoidance only provide temporary relief and do not address the underlying issues

What is the main objective when working on a worry exposure therapy script?

- The aim is to focus on the worst possible outcome of a given situation

How can worry exposure therapy help individuals in managing anxiety?

- By confronting worries and anxieties head-on, individuals can learn to cope with and reduce them

What is the significance of repetition in the implementation of worry exposure therapy?

- Repetition helps individuals become more desensitized to their worries and fears over time

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo