...Midbrain Volume Increase in 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...
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...Abnormal psychology is the “study of behavior that is deemed not normal” (Jay, 2005, P. 104). Individuals who demonstrate abnormal behavior may be diagnosed with a particular mental disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition (DSM-IV) the American Psychiatric Association diagnostic manual, mental disorders fall into 16 categories. The mental disorders that make up these categories include: disorders often diagnosed in childhood/adolescence, Delirium, Dementia, and other cognitive disorders, mental disorders due to a general medical condition, substance-related disorders, Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorder, factitious disorder, dissociative disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders, eating disorders, sleep disorders, impulse control disorders, adjustment disorders, and finally personality disorders (Jay, 2005). This paper will analyze the biological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components of phobias and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). For each disorder, this paper will provide a definition and the DSM-IV symptom criteria, various/possible etiologies, and various/possible treatments. Phobias and OCD are both forms of anxiety disorders. One component that nearly all anxiety disorders share is the panic attack; such an attack lasts only for a discrete period of time, often 10 minutes. During a panic attack, an individual experiences overwhelming feelings of...
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...Solis, Iris Psychology 1 Mrs. Perser December 04, 2012 Behavioral Paper # 3 Observation I began going to the gym because I wanted to lose weight. Little did I know what was to be expected at the end. That day i got home and I felt so drained my head felt pressured something I never felt before. I thought maybe I'm just so drained from going to the gym and work. So I decided to take a nap, when I woke up I still felt the same it was a horrible feeling but I tried to forget about it. The next day I felt the same way my back began to hurt and everything I would do bend down or put my head down my head would pound so much that I was able to hear the pounding in my head. It was so bad that when I walked my back would hurt and the headaches were terrible. One night I was sleeping and all of a sudden around 4am I suddenly woke up with a terrible pounding headache. And for some reason the first thing I did was place my hand on my heart and my heart was pounding and racing super fast I was freaking out I didn’t know what was going on. Then I could not breathe I felt like I could not inhale enough air for my lungs I began to sweat and freaked out I went to the living room and woke up my parents. I told my sister to call 911and she did in about 10 minutes the paramedics came in by that time I had calm down a bit. They checked my pressure and everything and they said everything was good. I was like then what was that that I just got and they said you just got an anxiety attack. I never...
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...1. Introduction This paper provides a brief overview of evidence based psychological treatments for anxiety disorders. It addresses the following questions: • How common are anxiety disorders? • What psychological treatments have empirical support? • What recovery rates can be achieved with these treatments? • How enduring are their effects? • Is there value in combining psychological treatments with medication? Psychological treatments can be delivered in a variety of formats. This paper restricts itself to the traditional, and most extensively researched, format of face-to-face contact with a fully qualified therapist. For most anxiety disorders the therapy sessions are once weekly for 60-90 minutes spread over a period of 8-20 weeks, with homework assignments in between. However, in specific phobias, the strongest outcomes have been obtained with a single, long (3-5 hour) session with a therapist, followed by a briefer follow-up session a week or so later. 2. How common are anxiety disorders? The most recent British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey1 estimates that 16.4% of the population have a diagnosable anxiety and/or depressive disorder. The diagnostic system that was used in the survey (ICD-10) is different from the diagnostic system (DSM-IV) that has been used in most trials of psychological treatments. For this reason, it is difficult to be precise about the number of individuals in the UK who have anxiety disorders for which there...
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...that interferes with day-to-day activities. Anxiety disorders are common in both children and adults, the effects are numerous and the treatments are vast and ever-changing. Although there are many types of anxiety disorders, each having its own symptoms, treatments and effects, three that are common are panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Panic disorder is a term in which an anxiety disorder can be repeated or have unexpected attacks of intense fear. These attacks can last for minutes to hours. Panic attacks cannot be predicted and may result in added anxiety and depression. Over time, people who have panic attacks often worry about the onset of the next panic attack. Shirley Trickett, author of Panic Attacks, reports that symptoms of Panic Disorder include shortness of breath, pounding heart or chest pain, intense fear, sweating, dizziness, chills, tingling, numbness of the fingers and also a fear that the person are losing control or are about to die (5). Most panic attacks can happen when you are worried or sometimes you can just experience an unexpected attack that is not tied to a specific situation. Causes of panic disorder cannot be understood, although studies have shown that environmental and biological factors may be involved. One factor, according to Trickett, includes a family history of the illness. Family members can pass on abnormalities in the brain which...
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...whenever you encounter stress. When you have a history of panic attacks, the mere thought of panicking can cause you to panic. As this condition worsens, it can limit you from truly experiencing your life. If you are a victim of panic disorder, you deserve to get help and live a normal life. Do you feel helpless and terrified at the thought of a panic attack? Have you dealt with this problem for years without it improving? Are you unable to handle stressful situations because of panic disorder? Have you avoided starting a real career because you are unsure if you can handle it? Many people experience panic attacks every day. When a panic attack happens, it can make you feel terrified...
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...Panic Disorder A panic attack is sudden and very intense feeling of fear that causes an extreme feeling of danger. It comes with symptoms of anxiety, rapid heart rate, cold sweats and hyperventilation. A person suffering from panic disorder may have several panic attacks in a month and have severe fear of having another. Panic disorder is a chronic, crippling condition that can be a major blow on a sufferer’s family, work, and life. The first attack comes without warning. A person can be running their daily errands when an attack can happen. Heart palpation, cold sweats and a feeling of immanent doom occurs. An attack can last for seconds or minutes but to a sufferer it feels like forever. Once you have your first attack you are left always waiting for the next attack to happen. One out of 63 Americans is affected each year with this debilitating disorder. The fear of panic attacks increases and a person begins to stay away from situations in which a panic attack has the possibility to happen. In extreme cases, a sufferer is afraid to leave the house for fear of an attack happening in an open public place where people can witness the panic attack, causing the feeling of embarrassment and being labeled “crazy”. This irrational fear is called agoraphobia. Researchers don’t know what exactly triggers panic attacks, but they believe part of it is genetic. They feel that people with this disorder may have increased sensitivity within the nervous system...
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...have had a panic attack. B. I myself suffer from panic attacks frequently. II. I have learned a lot about my condition over the past three years, and I did additional research for this speech. III. Today I would like to inform you about the nature of panic attacks, the people affected most often by them, and the options for treatment. (Transition: Let's start with the nature of panic attacks.) Body I. Panic attacks are a severe medical condition with a number of physical and mental symptoms. A. As defined by the National Institute of Mental Health, panic attacks involve “unexpected And repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms." 1. The attacks usually come out of nowhere and strike when least expected. 2. Their length can vary from a few minutes to several hours. B. There are a number of symptoms common to most panic attacks. 1. Physical symptoms include a pounding heart, shortness of breath, bbbbbbbbbbbbbblightheadedness, and numbness or tingling sensations in the arms and legs. 2. Mental symptoms include acute fear, a sense of disaster or helplessness, and a hhhhhhhhhhhhhhfeeling of being detached from one's own body. (Transition: Now that you know something about the nature of panic attacks, let's look at how widespread they are.) II. Panic attacks affect...
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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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...Discuss and critically evaluate the arguments put forward by the specific ingredients perspective and the common factors perspective, regarding the mechanism and effectiveness of counselling and psychotherapy. Since its development during the 19th century more than three hundred and fifty distinct popular counselling and psychotherapy strands have emerged into the modern counselling field (Sparks, Duncan & Field, 2008). The years prior to psychotherapy’s birth were dominated by psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches and its practice was largely restricted to physicians (Miller, Hubble, Chow & Seidel, 2013). Psychotherapy’s arrival was not unnoticed from opposing schools of thought who were quick to question its scientific basis. Traditionally Eysenck (1952) not only challenged psychotherapy’s efficacy but also argued that it was “potentially harmful” (Miller, Hubble, Chow & Seidel, 2013:88). However, supporters of psychotherapy refuted Eysenck’s (1952) view and debate surrounding the fields worth began to accumulate. As a result psychotherapy research for the next few decades would focus on determining whether therapy was effective (House & Loewenthal, 2009). Subsequently, a plethora of studies that demonstrated its efficacy emerged (Smith Miller & Glass, 1980; Lambert & Bergin, 1994; Ahn & Wampold, 2001). So much so, that early studies revealed the treated population fared much better in comparison to their untreated counterparts (Sparks, Duncan...
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...affects everyone in the world. However, there is a more powerful form of fear known as a phobia. Not everyone is affected by phobias, approximately eleven percent of the worlds population is (de Jong & Merckelbach, 2000). The world today associates any fear as a phobia, by tacking on the suffix “phobia” to the end of any word. However, a fear is not the same as a phobia. A phobia is a psychological disorder, not just an irrational fear. Belief that a phobia is not the same as a fear is controversial. This is increasingly important in this age of advanced psychology, medicine, and technology. Many people think that a phobia is defined as having a fear of a certain stimuli, but seem to overlook the fact that a phobia is more than a fear it is a psychological disorder. Phobias are quite difficult to understand, even to a person who has one. A phobia is an unrealistic and disproportionate fear of a certain stimuli resulting in panic, severe anxiety, lack of control and impairment. Phobias can be classified into two main groups, simple specific and complex general. Simple specific phobias are defined as an irrational fear to one specific stimulus, like a snake for example. People with this type of phobia only react to that one thing, and the reaction only results when the certain stimulus is encountered. Some examples of simple specific phobias are emetaphobia, the fear of vomiting, arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, and astraphobia, the fear of thunder and lightning. On the other...
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...Agoraphobia as defined by the APA Dictionary of Psychology is literally the fear of the market place. Agoraphobia is manifested as anxiety about being in places or situations, fearing one may have panic symptoms or a panic attack, throwing up or having diarrhea in public. Those with agoraphobia live with the terror that they may become trapped, desperately avoiding situations where they feel that they would not be able to escape quickly or that may not be able to get help if they need it.κ Those with agoraphobia have a hard time feeling safe in public places, and most especially where crowds gather. Common areas that most people suffering from agoraphobia dread are elevators, sporting events, bridges, lines, driving, public transportation, malls and airplanes. In the more serious cases of agoraphobia, one’s fears become so intense that they are just trapped in their own homes because that is the only place they truly feel safe.λ Unlike most phobias and fears, Agoraphobia usually begins between late adolescence and the mid-30s. This phobia is often passed along in families. It can also occur if a person grows up with an overprotective parent or a parent that is a perfectionist. According to the Mayo Clinic, between 1 and 5 percent of people in the United States develop agoraphobia in their lifetime. Nearly 80% of those suffering from this phobia are women.μ Something familiar to all of us is anxiety at its minor symptom level. This often seems to weigh against...
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...Assignment 1: Preferences By: Professor Name: Course Title: Introduction to Psychology 105 Date: Briefly describe your like or dislike (one to two (1-2) sentences). My dislike is pubic speaking; it has been a very difficult thing to do throughout my entre life. Public speaking is some what terrifying to me and I would try to run the other way every time. Describe the subfield (e.g., cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, psychoanalytic psychology, etc.) you believe is best suited for providing psychological insight into your preference (the fact that you like or dislike the thing you do) and why you believe it is so. I would choose Experimental psychology for my subfield. I believe it would relate to my fear of public speaking. The Experimental psychology is pertaining to all basic psychological process including perception, learning and motivation. My main fear of public speaking is based of the perception of others. And all I can think at the time is what they think of me and what I am saying. The learning part would be based of the passed my childhood. I could of learned the to fear public speaking due to other around me fearing it as well. And the motivational peace of it could come from no one acutely motivating me and teaching me how not to fear public speaking. Discuss how biological bases of behavior (including sensation and perception) have contributed to your preference. The biological bases of the behavior of my public...
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...I believe that the first radio broadcast was successful because we as the people are very gullible we can be tricked into believing virtually anything. I believe that the war of the worlds broadcast was this successful because they played the radio session on for a long time and they built up the suspense. They had notes that were saying that things were being set down on the planet they were telling there listeners that aliens were coming down. They were telling the people that the aliens were falling into pathogens and that they were not immune to them. The radio broadcasters were doing such a good job at explaining what was not really going on that the public really believed them. The reason that this trick worked on future broadcasts is...
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...Examining Clinical Psychology The complexity of human behavior, thoughts, and emotions have been an area of intrigue for centuries. Dating back to early Greek thinkers and philosophers and leading to our present knowledge, psychology has been a hotbed of questions prompting research. The past has taught us that using research and statistics paves the way for progressive treatment of psychological disorders; however, each psychological discipline uses its own treatment regimen to manage disorders or remain proactive against them. The History and Evolving Nature of Clinical Psychology One of the most pivotal names in early psychology’s roots is the Greek physician Hippocrates. The theory Hippocrates touched on was that of the body possessing four humors (fluids) needing to be balanced for the body and mind to stay in harmony. These fluids were black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. He believed that these fluids were responsible for different temperaments, such as anger, sadness, irritability, and hopelessness. This was in stark contrast to the primary thought of the time – the belief that spiritual forces were responsible for the health and mental stability of the body (Plante, 2010). Hippocrates also believed that the environment also had a role in the etiology of illness and may cause an imbalance in the four main fluids mentioned above. Other Greek philosophers and physicians such as Aristotle, Plato, and Galen mirrored Hippocrates theory on separation from the...
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