...Case Study Report What diagnosis has been given to this client? Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia Background Information Please outline the major symptoms of this disorder. According to the DSM, the major symptoms of Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia are, recurrent panic attacks and enduring anxiety about experiencing another panic attack. The individual is also anxious about going places where escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or where they will be unable to receive assistance in case of emergency. The symptoms cannot be better explained by another medical or psychological effect. Briefly describe the client’s background (age, race, occupation etc). The client is named Annie, and she is a 24 year-old Caucasian woman. According to the case history she had an abusive relationship with her parents, and started experiencing mental health problems during puberty. Annie is currently unemployed, and is receiving disability payments from the federal government. Please describe any factors in the client’s background that might predispose him or her to this disorder. During the interview, Annie states that her childhood was normal. However, during the interview she occasionally alludes to some abusive experiences, but is reluctant to talk about them any further. The client also makes reference to the night terrors she experienced at the young age of four, eight and twelve. These “intense” nightmares terrified her growing up, and she attributes...
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...Part I As of this date, the best evidenced-based treatment for treating panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia, appears to be a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy. There are numerous studies to support this claim, some of which will be discussed here. There have been a number of comparative studies of psychotherapy, drug treatment, and a combination of both in the treatment of panic disorder and most have indicated that a combination is superior to mono-therapy of either type (Bandelow, Lichte, Rudolf, Wiltink, & Beutel, 2014). There are other methods that are also used, but current research shows that none appear to be as effective as this combination. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses, although persons suffering from them rarely seek treatment. Specific phobias are the most common type of anxiety disorder followed closely by panic disorder/agoraphobia (PDAG). Anxiety disorders are now thought to originate from an interaction of psychosocial, genetic, and neurobiological factors (Bandelow et al., 2014). Panic disorder (PD) is associated with significant personal, social, and economic costs and ranks among the most expensive psychiatric disorders (White et al., 2013). Merriam-Webster defines panic disorder, panic attack and agoraphobia as...
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...Panic disorder is a psychiatric condition in which a patient experiences recurrent, unexpected panic attacks accompanied by concern about future attacks and/or a lifestyle change to avoid future attacks (Barlow 136.) The diagnostic criteria for panic disorder, according to the DSM-5, states that the patient must have: 1. Recurrent unexpected panic attacks 2. at least one of the attacks has been followed by one month or more of one or both of the following: (a.) persistent concern or worry about additional panic attacks or their consequences, or (b.) a significant maladaptive change in behavior related to the attacks, 3. the disturbance is not attributed to the physiological effects of a substance or another medical condition, and 4. the disturbance...
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...Patients with Panic Disorder I. Statement of the Problem The study aims to investigate structural abnormalities of the midbrain using magnetic resonance imaging and to determine if there is a clinical correlation between midbrain volume and clinical measurements in patients with Panic Disorder. II. Findings Relative midbrain volume was larger in the Panic Disorder group than in the Healthy Controls group. The relative volume of the dorsal midbrain was larger in the Panic Disorder group, while the volume of the ventral midbrain was not. Results showed a significant positive correlation between relative dorsal midbrain volume and total Panic Disorder Severity Scale score, and a significant negative correlation between relative dorsal midbrain volume and Global Assessment of Functioning score in the Panic Disorder group. Thus, these findings suggest that the dorsal midbrain is associated with Panic Disorder pathophysiology. The midbrain volume increase may reflect Panic Disorder severity. III. Implications to Biological Psychology Biological Psychology is essentially concerned with the relationship between psychological processes and the underlying physiological events, in other words, the mind-body phenomenon. This study between the midbrain volume and patients with panic disorder yielded a significant result. At the onset of this study the extent to which the midbrain is associated with Panic Disorder pathophysiology is unclear, but after this study this case became free...
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... Goldberg PC15 April 13, 2007 Panic Attacks in Young Adults (18-29) Right before I left for college I experienced the single most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me. This experience and the fear of it happening again stalked me day and night. It is something that has stayed with me and that I deal with and fear on a daily basis. It wasn’t until years later that I sought professional help and found out how common this very personal, ground-shattering experience actually was. I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia. I. Introduction Throughout history, anxiety and fear have been recognized as an inherent part of man’s existence. However, in antiquity, as well as late in the Middle Ages, anxiety phenomena were seldom described in a medical context, despite the fact that Hippocrates related obvious cases of phobic avoidance in a book dated around 400 BC (Hippocrates, translated in 1780). Hippocrates described the case of a man who ‘could not go near a precipice or over a bridge, or beside even the shallowest ditch; and yet he could walk in the ditch himself’. It was only in the 19th century that panic emerged as a fundamental problem, and since then, anxiety symptoms in the context of phobic avoidance have become firmly embedded in a medical context. (Den Boer, J.A., S3) II. Defining Panic There have been some revisions to what constitutes panic attacks and panic disorder in recent years. Panic attacks were first defined in 1980...
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...What is panic disorder? Panic disorder falls under the umbrella of Anxiety Disorders. Anxiety disorders, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder are all fairly common. These disorders as a group are thought to affect up about 18% of adult in the United States and about 20% of adults worldwide. Panic Disorder is a condition that affects 2-3% of Americans, and it is twice as common in women than men. It is primarily characterized by the presence of unexpected and recurrent panic attacks. The definition of a panic attack is when “a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions, when there is no real or apparent danger”. Your body believes you are in...
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...| Panic DisorderPsychology Assignment | Rohit Jayal | 11/20/13 | XI-C | | | Panic DisorderPsychology Assignment | Rohit Jayal | 11/20/13 | XI-C | | Contents 1 Signs and symptoms 2 Causes 3 Psychological Models 4 Medical Model 5 Mediators and moderators of panic disorder 6 Substance abuse 7 Diagnosis 8 Treatment 9 Psychotherapy 10 Medication 11 Other treatments 12 Epidemiology. 13 Panic disorder in juveniles 14 Case Study. Definition Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring severe panic attacks. It may also include significant behavioural changes lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks. The latter are called anticipatory attacks (DSM-IVR). Panic disorder is not the same as agoraphobia (fear of public places), although many afflicted with panic disorder also suffer from agoraphobia. Panic attacks cannot be predicted, therefore an individual may become stressed, anxious or worried wondering when the next panic attack will occur. Panic disorder may be differentiated as a medical condition, or chemical imbalance. The DSM-IV-TR describes panic disorder and anxiety differently. Whereas anxiety is preceded by chronic stressors which build to reactions of moderate intensity that can last for days, weeks or months, panic attacks are acute events triggered by a sudden, out-of-the-blue cause: duration is short and symptoms are more intense. Panic attacks...
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...etc. during their lifetime. When this anxiety start to be an overwhelming thought in a person’s mind and causes nightmares, fears, and panic attacks, it becomes an illness, called anxiety disorder. It is the fear, apprehension, and often the expectation of unspecified danger. It is considered a normal natural response used everyday to figure out whether a situation is dangerous or not. How to differentiate a normal anxiety form an abnormal disorder: The intensity of the anxiety; whether or not the anxiety matches the circumstance. The length of the anxiety is inappropriate to what is causing the anxiety. Adequately respond to make a decision in what to do in that our body has alarm us to some danger. Anxiety is a total normal thing and is experienced daily. But when you have consistent anxiety you should start to worry. Anxiety is a reaction to stressful situations that helps rather than hinders daily functions. If we didn’t have anxiety we wouldn’t be motivated to do certain things in life that could be a good accomplishment or help us out. Anxiety Disorder is defined as the occurrence of anxiety without obvious external cause, intruding on daily functioning. Now I will discuss Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is the experience of long-term anxiety with no explanation. Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder come from six major systems of the body. They include the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, genitourinary, musculoskeletal...
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...Research paper on Anxiety Disorder Jeffrey S. Fletcher, M.A. Kathleen B. Stinger Psychopathology and Counseling, Coun 656 4, May 2014 Author Note Jeffrey S. Fletcher, Student, Liberty University. Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Jeffrey S. Fletcher, Jfletcher1@liberty.edu Abstract This research paper is designed to review articles and books of professional journals in anxiety disorders, definition of anxiety disorder, review of current and past treatments of anxiety disorders, the new section and changes to anxiety disorder in the DSM-5, new treatments for anxiety disorders and medications for anxiety disorders. This paper will show spiritual considerations for treating anxiety disorders and how religion can improve one’s condition. It will show how CBT treatment of anxiety disorders have not been very successful and how medication has its limitations in treatment of anxiety disorders. This paper will also show what this clinician has learned and will take forward into the daily practice of treating adolescents with anxiety disorders. Keywords: anxiety, anxiety disorders, DSM-5, treatment Introduction When we talk about anxiety we have to distinguish between healthy anxiety or normal anxiety and anxiety disorders. It is normal to have a certain amount of anxiety for instance when one is in danger it is normal to become anxious. To have an anxiety disorder your anxiety would have to interfere with your life in a negative way. Anxiety...
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...by patients who suffer from panic disorders (and rightfully so) is what causes panic disorders. A panic disorder, which is different from the normal anxiety and fears that we face in our daily lives, is a sudden surge in anxiety and fear. It makes your heart pound abnormally, and is often characterized by a lack of breath. If left untreated, panic disorders can be lethal. To effectively remedy panic disorders, it is important to understand what causes the disorders in the first place. Unfortunately the causes of panic disorders is usually unknown. Studies on the disorder however allude to a combination of factors that may be responsible for the disorder. If you suspect that you might be suffering from...
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...repercussions these instances will have. Will her overwhelming emotions cause future problems for her health or for family? What are these intense moments that are affecting her quality of life? They are known as panic attacks. Panic attacks are a form of anxiety, a common emotion. Anxiety occurs in all of us, and mild amounts, it is healthy. For some, however, anxiety can take the ugly form of anxiety disorders. Because anxiety is so widespread, and potentially dangerous, it is important to understand what it is, how it affects us, and what we can do to cope with it. Anxiety can take many different levels of severity and emerge from many different emotions or attitudes. It can emerge from a fear of a future event, whether that event is real or perceived. Others may feel general uneasiness all the time. No matter what the trigger for anxiety, one detail is key. Anxiety is illogical. Yet, despite this fact, one of anxiety’s most severe effects is common. 1/3 of all 15-35 year olds have at least one panic attack in their lifetime (Hales, Hales 119). What exactly is a panic attack though? A panic attack is when an individual is overcome with a sudden and intense fear. It does not need a specific reason for appearing, and it triggers a severe physical reaction. Panic attacks are no joke, even if at one time people once...
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...Panic Disorders affect people throughout the world in various countries although a major facet of panic disorders, panic attacks, are experienced in differing ways in separate cultures where the certain attack may include wailing, feeling like there is “worms crawling in [the patients] head” and so on(Kohn). With the varying ways that just a portion of a panic disorder is experienced, it is not surprising the amount of differing subsets of panic disorders there are and the range of ways to experience and treat treat these disorders. One such specific subset of a Panic Disorder being “Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia”. Similar to a great amount of other panic disorders, people with Panic Disorder with agoraphobia usually experience panic...
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...Anxiety Disorders – an Outline Fears & Phobias • Adaptive responses • Excessive in nature Fear: excessive fears Phobia: subset of fears including avoidance fear, anxious anticipation, interferes significantly with daily routine, markedly distressed. Social Phobia: 2 types: generalized versus nongeneralized. Five subtypes: animal type; natural environment type; blood-injection type; situation type; “other” type. Common fears: ontogenetic parade. These include: fear of separation; fear of unfamiliar adults; fear of animals, darkness, & imaginary creatures. Adult fears: social fears; fears related to blood, illness, injury, or death; fear of animals; fears of environmental hazards. Genetics: Mean heritability 40%. Environment or combination of both appears important. Theories of Fear: 1. Two-factor Theory (Mowrer) & Pavlov, Watson & Rayner. Includes classical & operant conditioning. 2. Rachman (1976) which includes direct conditioning, modeling, & information/instructional transmission. Prepared Fears (Seligman, 1970): 1. rapidly acquired 2. resistant to extinction 3. “noncognitive” 4. differentially associated with stimuli of evolutionary significance. Research on preparedness theory: Cook & Mineka (1987, 1990); McNally (1987); Bandura Behavioral & Cognitive Theories: 1. Neo-conditioning; 2. Neo-conditioning & emotional processing. Anxiety Sensitivity: Reiss – AS is one of 3 fundamental fears. The others include illness/injury...
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...for some. But for others, it exceeds past that. It can last for weeks or even months. Anxiety can affect one’s day in major ways, they can begin to feel a sense of helplessness. Anxiety can branch off into many directions. Many people can develop several disorders from getting anxiety. Anxiety can be developed through past experiences or can be carried on from family members who had...
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...DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY 29:320–327 (2012) Klein Award Winner CHILDHOOD SEPARATION ANXIETY DISORDER AND ADULT ONSET PANIC ATTACKS SHARE A COMMON GENETIC DIATHESIS Roxann Roberson-Nay, Ph.D.,1 ∗ Lindon J. Eaves, Ph.D.,1,2 John M. Hettema, M.D.,1 Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D.,1,2 and Judy L. Silberg, Ph.D.1,2 Background: Childhood separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is hypothesized to share etiologic roots with panic disorder. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic and environmental sources of covariance between childhood SAD and adult onset panic attacks (AOPA), with the primary goal to determine whether these two phenotypes share a common genetic diathesis. Methods: Participants included parents and their monozygotic or dizygotic twins (n = 1,437 twin pairs) participating in the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development and those twins who later completed the Young Adult Follow-Up (YAFU). The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment was completed at three waves during childhood/adolescence followed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IIIR at the YAFU. Two separate, bivariate Cholesky models were fit to childhood diagnoses of SAD and overanxious disorder (OAD), respectively, and their relation with AOPA; a trivariate Cholesky model also examined the collective influence of childhood SAD and OAD on AOPA. Results: In the best-fitting bivariate model, the covariation between SAD and AOPA was accounted for by genetic and unique environmental...
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