Exam 1 on Friday Review sessions Wed Feb 28th 6pm Herter Reminders Key Questions What is a worry What is GAD How does gad develop and how is it treated Positive beliefs about worry The more positive beliefs they have about worry the more they engage in it By worrying i can find a solution to my problem If i did not worry i would be careless and irresponsible If i worry i will be less unhappy when a negative event occurs Positive beliefs about worry are correlated with worry severity What is worry Chain of negative thoughts about anticipated threats Future oriented Tends to be a verbal linguistic process What if scenarios Makes us think we are solving a problem but worrying itself rarely leads to actual solutions What is GAD A primarily worrying disorder What do the worries look like Excessive out of proportion to the situation Pervasive across a range of domains including social situations health natural disasters managing time task completion etc Difficult to control the worry takes over the person so much so that it is difficult to focus on other things Physical symptoms Restlessness constantly being on edge Irritability or even anger Difficulty concentrating Difficulty sleeping Muscle tension neck back jaw pain Chronic fatigue The symptoms have to persist for more days than not for 6 months Plus distress and or impairment Lifetime prevalence 7 7 in women and 4 6 in men What is the function of worry in GAD Contrast avoidance theory newman and llera 2011 If I worry I will be less unhappy when a negative event occurs Try to relax and or worry prefer the worry Because the worried state puts you in a negative state stressful situation if it goes badly i wasn t surprised from the negative state Relaxation can be threatening if something bad happens im not prepared for it How does GAD develop Biological Genetic predisposition Deficient GABA or GABA receptors primary inhibitory neurotransmitter helpful for inhibiting activity in the limbic system Cognitive Hypervigilant to threat I should expect the worst Intolerant of uncertainty could be dangerous environment learning Over Controlling and or critical parenting uncontrollable unpredictable stressors early childhood experiences Anxious neural pathways could continue into adulthood As children have even lesser control over situations and the environments than adults worrying can bring back that sense of control Video Anxious America Living with Clinical Anxiety GAD some people might assume that it is a mild disorder What do you think would be two important areas to address treatment with Anna In Class Activity 5 number your ideas 1 and 2 Case of Anna Took 1 year leave from college due to anxiety Worries about school and other activities leads her to put off decisions Worries about friendships leads her to ask for reassurance and apologize excessively Worries about how to explain year long leave to others Muscle tension sleep problems and irritability Treatments of GAD Cognitive behavioral approach tends to be the most effective Relaxation therapies Medication benzodiazepines and antidepressants Summary What is worry and why we worry