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Diagnosis and Management of Anxiety Disorders

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Diagnosis and Management of Anxiety Disorders

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Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions that are associated with persistent feelings

of panic or anxiety. The disorders may have a huge influence on an individual’s emotions,

behaviors, and thoughts (Walter et al., 2020). The case study involves J.T., a 20-year-old patient

who presents signs of depression and anxiety. The patient experiences stress about school, rarely

attends classes, and avoids reaching out for help from his professors. The paper provides primary

and differential diagnoses associated with the patient’s symptoms. It also develops a

biopsychosocial plan of care and compares and contrasts fear, worry, anxiety, and panic.

Primary and Differential Diagnoses

Primary Diagnosis

Social anxiety disorder: It is a condition that is majorly associated with persistent fear of

being judged or watched by others. In the case, it is shown that the patient’s symptoms have

caused clinically significant impairment in his social functioning. For instance, he is unable to

interact with other people as he fears they may judge him. The patient’s anxiety has made it

difficult for the patient to make new friends. His depression is majorly associated with his

admission to college as he is not familiar with the environment or the people at the place

(Emmelkamp, Meyerbröker, & Morina, 2020).

Differential Diagnoses

Major depressive disorder: It is a common form of depression that entails features such

as a persistent low mood which affects an individual’s daily life. According to the DMS-5

criteria, the patient presents some symptoms associated with major depressive disorder (MDD).

For instance, he reports feeling depressed and has also lost interest in attending classes and

avoids seeking help for his situation. However, it is opined that his anxiety symptoms are more
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profound than his depressive symptoms. Therefore, the condition is ruled out (Gutiérrez-Rojas et

al., 2020).

Generalized anxiety disorder: The condition is associated with extreme and

uncontrollable worry about different issues. The patient is observed to experience signs of

anxiety as he fears to talk to his lecturers. He also fears to be judged and to mingle with other

people. However, the patient does not show signs of tiredness, trembling or shaking, shortness of

breath, or excessive sweating. It helps in ruling out the condition (DeMartini, Patel, & Fancher,

2019).

Biopsychosocial Plan of Care

The patient’s care plan will entail use of medications. It is essential for the patient to start

using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors

which help in controlling anxiety and depression symptoms. Cognitive-behavioral therapy may

also be a suitable intervention for managing anxiety and depressive symptoms in the patient. The

patient also needs to undergo social skills training to improve his handling of social situations. It

will enable him to interact with others and make new friends without the fear of being judged. In

addition, being involved in physical activities can help reduce the patient’s symptoms (Walter et

al., 2020).

Comparison and Contrast of Fear, Worry, Anxiety, and Panic

Fear refers to a response to a specific threat or danger and may be associated with a fight-

or-flight response. On the other hand, worry involves negative anticipations of future events.

Anxiety can be observed to be a broader term as it involves aspects of tension, nervousness, and

reduced socialization. On the other hand, panic refers to an intense and sudden presentation of
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anxiety or fear upon exposure to a trigger. Fear and panic are generally short-lived while worry

and anxiety are observed to take a long period (Clark & Beck, 2023).

References
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Clark, D. A., & Beck, A. T. (2023). Anxiety and Worry Workbook. Guilford Publications.

DeMartini, J., Patel, G., & Fancher, T. L. (2019). Generalized anxiety disorder. Annals of

Internal Medicine, 170(7), ITC49-ITC64. https://doi.org/10.7326/AITC201904020

Emmelkamp, P. M., Meyerbröker, K., & Morina, N. (2020). Virtual reality therapy in social

anxiety disorder. Current Psychiatry Reports, 22, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-

020-01156-1

Gutiérrez-Rojas, L., Porras-Segovia, A., Dunne, H., Andrade-González, N., & Cervilla, J. A.

(2020). Prevalence and correlates of major depressive disorder: a systematic

review. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 42, 657-672. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-

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Walter, H. J., Bukstein, O. G., Abright, A. R., Keable, H., Ramtekkar, U., Ripperger-Suhler, J.,

& Rockhill, C. (2020). Clinical practice guideline for the assessment and treatment of

children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Journal of the American Academy of

Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(10), 1107-1124.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.05.005