PHARMACOTHERAPY OF ANXIETY The first decision that often must be considered in treating the patient with acute anxiety is whether to recommend using a drug. Most acute anxiety and tension episodes are self-limiting as the person adapts and copes, or remissions occur naturally. Drugs should only be used if the …

PREVENTION OF LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF STRESS. An important component of crisis management is to set the stage for the prevention of the long-term effects of acute stress or crisis. Factors that seem to determine the long-term impact of the stressful event include the nature of thestressor (length, intensity, and quality); …

Acute Anxiety, Tension Disorders. Acute anxiety, fear, and tension are common problems. We all experience these emotions when threatened or upset. Sometimes we can identify the causeof the distress and consider it fear. At other times, we are not aware of what is causing the problem. When anxiety, fear, and …

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER FROM ANXIETY. The essential feature of this disorder “is the development of characteristic symptoms following a psychologically distressing event that is outside the range of usual human experience” (APA, 1987). The characteristic symptoms involve reexperiencing the traumatic event; numbing of responsiveness to, or reduced involvement with, …

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER OF ANXIETY. The essential feature of this disorder is recurrent obsessions or compulsions sufficiently severe to cause marked distress, to be time-consuming, or to interfere significantly with the person’s normal routine, occupational functioning, or usual social activities or relationships with others (APA, 1987). Obsessive compulsive disorder was …

THE DIAGNOSIS OF ANXIETY DISORDERS. Drawing the line between normal anxiety, syndromes of anxiety, and clinical anxiety is difficult and somewhat arbitrary. We have suggested that at least four groups of anxiety syndromes can be defined. Although treatment should focus on the symptoms, we believe that it is important to …

Anxiety Syndromes and Disorders. In the first chapter we reviewed the major subjective, cognitive, physiologic, and behavioral aspects of anxiety. Can certain syndromes or types of anxiety be identified by constellations of these symptoms, precipitating events, and course? This is a surprisingly controversial question and is related to the issue …

Implications for Treatment, psychological treatment of anxiety. Psychodynamic theory continues to influence the psychological treatment of anxiety. In particular, psychodynamic theory has revealed the intricate elationship among thoughts, feelings, images, and behavior. Among the important observations derived from psychodynamic theory are the following: (1) anxiety is a universal emotion; (2) …

Theories of Anxiety The origins and meaning of anxiety and fear have preoccupied many of the great experimental and clinical theorists of the 20th century. Freud was concerned with the problem of anxiety throughout his career and revised his theory at least four times. Much of the history of learning …

THE BEHAVIORAL DIMENSION FOR ANXIETY Behavioral symptoms associated with anxiety may be classified into acute and chronic responses. In animals there is first the recognition of threat, perhaps associated with behavioral signs of fear, followed by four basic responses to threat: withdrawal, immobility, aggressive defense, and submission (Marks,1987). The behavioral …