Deck 15: C: Psychological Disorders

Question 1

What is the fight-or-flight response? How is it thought to be related to anxiety and anxiety disorders?

Answer 1

A good answer will include the following key points.
- Anxiety is based on a normal physiological and psychological response to stressful events known as the fight-or-flight response.
- This response is an important emergency response that is very adaptive to threats such as predators.
- If this response is extreme in duration,sensitivity,and/or severity,it can become maladaptive.

Question 2

Why do many researchers consider schizophrenia a brain disorder?

Answer 2

A good answer will include the following key points.
- The disease is associated with many abnormalities in the brain,including:
* Enlarged ventricles and reduced brain volume
* Lower level of activity in frontal lobes
* Abnormalities in the neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate
* Smaller amygdala and hippocampal regions

Question 3

Explain the concept of a vicious cycle as it applies to anxiety disorders.Provide an example.

Answer 3

A good answer will include the following key points.Examples will vary.
- Many anxiety disorders can be self-perpetuating.
- Having an anxiety disorder can make an individual hypersensitive to stimuli or events that lead to more anxiety.
- People with phobias avoid the things they are scared of,which prevent them from getting over their fear.
- Example: A person who is anxious about having a panic attack begins to panic the second they feel their heart rate increase a little.