Question 1

An abrupt episode of acute, intense anxiety or sheer terror, often accompanied by strong physical symptoms and difficulty breathing is a ______.

Accepted Answer

The description given matches the common symptoms of a panic attack, which is characterized by sudden and intense feelings of fear or discomfort, along with physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, and shortness of breath.

Question 2

Jake has experienced persistent shaking, inability to relax, trembling, fidgeting, sweating, a racing heart, insomnia, distractibility, irritability, and feelings that "the end is near" for the last nine months. He can identify no reason for being plagued with these symptoms. His symptoms sound most like ______.

Accepted Answer

Jake's symptoms are consistent with the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, which involves persistent and excessive worry and anxiety about various events or activities. Panic disorder involves sudden and unexpected panic attacks with symptoms such as chest pain, trembling, and a feeling of impending doom. While stress disorder and agoraphobia involve anxiety symptoms, they are more specific in their symptoms and causes, and do not fully match Jake's symptoms.

Question 3

A young mother is terrorized by the recurring fear that her children have been run over by a car on their way home from school. She cannot block out this fear even though her children do not cross any streets and never had any accidents involving a car. Her irrational fear is best described as ______.

Accepted Answer

The young mother's fear is described as recurring, meaning it is an obsession. Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause significant distress and anxiety. Phobias are intense and irrational fears of specific objects or situations, but in this scenario, the fear is more generalized and not tied to a specific object or situation. Delusions involve false beliefs that are held despite evidence to the contrary, and acute stress disorder involves a set of symptoms that occur after exposure to a traumatic event, which is not applicable in this case.

Question 4

Shelly lives in constant fear of publicly embarrassing or humiliating herself. It is so severe that she refuses to go to parties or go on dates. She is suffering from ______.

Accepted Answer

Shelly's fear specifically revolves around social situations, indicating social anxiety disorder. Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations or places where escape may be difficult, generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive worry and anxiety about a variety of things, and panic disorder involves recurrent panic attacks.

Question 5

Shelly has an irrational fear of leaving her home or being in crowds where it might be difficult to escape. Her fears are best described as ______.

Accepted Answer

Shelly's fear of leaving her home or being in crowds where it might be difficult to escape is a classic symptom of agoraphobia, which is an anxiety disorder characterized by an intense fear of being in situations where it may be difficult or embarrassing to escape, or where help may not be available in the event of a panic attack or other anxiety symptoms. Claustrophobia (B) is a fear of small, enclosed spaces, while acrophobia (C) is a fear of heights, and hydrophobia (D) is a fear of water. None of these phobias would be appropriate for describing Shelly's fears.

Question 6

Panic attacks usually last for ______.

Accepted Answer

Panic attacks usually last for several minutes, typically between 5-20 minutes. It is possible for the symptoms to last longer, but it is not common.

Question 7

Each of the following is true EXCEPT ______.

Accepted Answer

Panic attacks usually last for minutes, not hours. Therefore, the statement "panic attacks usually last for hours" is false.

Question 8

On average, social phobias develop around age ______.

Accepted Answer

Social phobias typically develop around the age of 15. This period corresponds to adolescence, a time of significant social and emotional development, making individuals more susceptible to social anxieties.

Question 9

An unexpected attack of intense anxiety that is not triggered by a specific object or situation is called ______.

Accepted Answer

This is the definition of panic disorder, which is characterized by recurrent unexpected panic attacks. Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive worry and anxiety about various life situations, while phobia involves intense fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation. Acute stress disorder involves a traumatic event and symptoms such as dissociation and re-experiencing the event.

Question 10

It is estimated that ______ percent of the adult US population suffers from generalized anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.

Accepted Answer

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects about 4 percent of the adult US population at some point in their lives, according to epidemiological studies.

Question 11

The phobia with the earliest average age of onset is ______.

Accepted Answer

Animal phobias typically have the earliest average age of onset, often developing in childhood.

Question 12

Of the following disorders, the one with the highest lifetime prevalence is ______.

Accepted Answer

According to the DSM-5, the lifetime prevalence of specific phobia is approximately 12%. This is higher than the lifetime prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (5.7%), agoraphobia (1.7%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (3.5%).

Question 13

A recurring, anxiety-provoking thought, which appears irrational, such as powerful and persistent doubts that you have locked your doors and windows even after you have checked them, is called ______.

Accepted Answer

The recurring, anxiety-provoking thoughts described in the question are a hallmark symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These thoughts are called obsessions and are often irrational in nature. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. Delusions are fixed, false beliefs that are not in line with cultural or personal beliefs, and phobias are intense, irrational fears of specific objects or situations.

Question 14

People with generalized anxiety disorder seem to worry about ______.

Accepted Answer

People with generalized anxiety disorder tend to worry excessively and uncontrollably about a wide range of everyday concerns and situations, sometimes without any clear trigger. This can include health, work, finances, relationships, and more.

Question 15

The term for a phobia that literally means "fear of the marketplace" is ______.

Accepted Answer

Agoraphobia comes from the Greek words "agora" (marketplace) and "phobia" (fear). It is a type of anxiety disorder where an individual fears being in situations where they may feel trapped, helpless, or embarrassed, such as in crowded places like marketplaces or malls, or in public transportation or open spaces.

Question 16

An anxiety disorder characterized by persistent feelings of dread and foreboding or anxiety in which the anxiety is experienced as free floating is ______.

Accepted Answer

Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by persistent feelings of dread and foreboding or anxiety, which are not tied to a specific object or situation. This kind of anxiety may feel "free floating," or not connected to a particular trigger. Phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder all involve anxiety that is connected to specific triggers or situations.

Question 17

Every few days, with little or no warning, Jake is overwhelmed by intense fear, shortness of breath, a pounding heart, and heavy sweating. He often feels like he is suffocating, having a heart attack, or going crazy. He can never identify a reason for having these attacks, but they leave him worried and exhausted. His attacks are best described as ______.

Accepted Answer

Jake's symptoms are classic signs of a panic attack, which is the primary characteristic of panic disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive and persistent worrying about a variety of everyday problems rather than sudden attacks. A phobia is an irrational fear of a specific object or situation, and acute stress disorder is characterized by anxiety and dissociative symptoms following a traumatic event.

Question 18

The phobia with the latest average age of onset is ______.

Accepted Answer

Agoraphobia typically has a later average age of onset compared to other specific phobias. While phobias like animal phobia and social phobia often start in childhood, and blood phobia can start in childhood or adolescence, agoraphobia usually develops in late adolescence or early adulthood.

Question 19

Agnes never leaves her house because she has had so many panic attacks that she fears having panic attacks in public. She is most likely to be diagnosed with ______.

Accepted Answer

Agnes has had panic attacks and fears having them in public, which is characteristic of panic disorder. Additionally, her avoidance of public places suggests agoraphobia, which is a common complication of panic disorder. Therefore, Agnes is most likely to be diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia (Choice C).

Question 20

Investigators estimate that ______ of adult Americans are affected by panic disorder at some point in their lives.

Accepted Answer

Research estimates that roughly 5 percent of adult Americans experience panic disorder at some point in their lives. This equates to approximately 14.8 million people.

Quiz 8: Adolescent and Adult Development: Going Through Changes