Читать реферат по английскому: "Anxiety Disorder Essay Research Paper Everybody has" Страница 2

(Назад) (Cкачать работу)

graceful and easy way to leave if anxiety should strike. Certain situations that cause

anxiety for people with agoraphobia are standing in line, sitting in the middle of a row

at the theater or in a classroom, and riding on a bus or airplane. Agoraphobia often

interferes with daily living, sometimes so drastically that it leaves the person

housebound. Social phobia is the fear of being humiliated in a social setting, such as

when meeting new people, giving a speech, or talking to the boss. For people with

social phobia the fear is not mild or moderate and never passes, The fear is extremely

intrusive and can disrupt normal life. The best treatment for agoraphobia is exposure

therapy, a type of behavior therapy. With the help of a therapist, the person seeks out,

confronts, and remains in contact with what he/she fears until their anxiety is slowly

relieved by familiarity with the situation. People with agoraphobia who are deeply

depressed may need to take an antidepressant. Social phobia can be effectively treated

with medications including benzodiazepines. Franklin R. Schneier informs us in his

book, Detachment and Generalized Social Phobia, that exposure therapy may also be a

very useful treatment of social phobia.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an extremely debilitating condition that can

occur after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm was

threatened or occurred. These traumatic events may include rape or mugging, natural

or manmade disasters, car accidents, or military combat. Most people try to avoid any

reminder or thoughts of the ordeal but constantly re-experience the event in the form of

flashback episodes, memories, nightmares, or frightening thoughts. Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder is only diagnosed if the symptoms last more than one month. Treatment

involves behavior therapy, drugs, and psychotherapy. In behavior therapy, the person is

exposed to situation that may trigger memories of the painful experience. After some

initial increase in discomfort, behavior therapy usually lessens a person s distress.

Antidepressant and antianxiety drugs appear to provide some benefit. Because of the

often intense anxiety associated with traumatic memories, supportive psychotherapy

plays an especially important role. Psychotherapeutic techniques may be needed to

help the person retrieve key traumatic memories that had been repressed, so that the

memories can be dealt with constructively.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is characterized by the presence of recurrent,

unwanted, intrusive ideas, images, or impulses that seem silly, weird, nasty, or horrible

(obsessions) and an urge or compulsion to do something that will relieve the discomfort

cause by an obsession. Common obsessions include concerns about contamination,

doubt, loss, and aggressiveness. Rituals such as handwashing, counting, checking, or

cleaning are often performed in hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them

go away. Most people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are aware that the

obsession don t reflect actual risks. They realize that their physical and mental

behavior is excessive to the point of being bizarre. Exposure therapy often helps with

this disorder, teaching the person that the ritual isn t needed to decrease discomfort.

Five drugs have been effective in treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, these

include clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline. Certain

other antidepressant drugs are also used, but much less often. Psychotherapy has

generally not been effective for people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Panic disorder is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense

fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations,

shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress. The diagnosis of a panic disorder

is frequently not made until extensive and costly medical procedures fail to provide a

correct diagnosis or relief. Part of this disorder is the appearance of panic attacks that

are often unexpected and occur for no apparent reason. A panic attack involves the

sudden appearance of at least four of the following symptoms: shortness of breath or

sense of being smothered; dizziness; unsteadiness, or faintness; palpitation or

accelerated heart rate; trembling or shaking; sweating; choking; nausea, stomachache,

or diarrhea; feelings of unreality, strangeness, or detachment from environment;

numbness or tingling sensations; flushing or chills; chest pain or discomfort; fear of

dying; and fear of going crazy or losing control. Drugs that are used to treat panic

disorder include antidepressants and antianxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines. When

a drug is effective, it prevents or greatly reduces the number of panic attacks. Exposure

therapy, where the person is exposed repeatedly to whatever triggers the panic attack,

often helps to diminish fear. Psychotherapy may also be useful.

Accurate diagnosis is important, since treatment varies from one disorder to

another. A family history of an anxiety disorder may help the doctor make the

diagnosis, since the predisposition to a specific anxiety disorder as well as a

susceptibility to anxiety disorders in general often is hereditary.

Works Cited

Bernard, Harold W. Psychology of Learning and Teaching. New York: McGraw-Hill

Book Company, 1965.

Cain, Dr.

Похожие работы