Chapter 5

Trauma, Anxiety,
Obsessive-Compulsive
and Related Disorders
(continued)
 Etiology of Social Anxiety Disorder

 Genetic basis
 Runs in families
 Tends to lead to a general tendency toward
anxiety disorders
 Temperament: behavioral inhibition
 Behavioral Factors
 Conditioning
 Avoidance
 Etiology of Social Anxiety Disorder

 Cognitive perspective—People with social

anxiety disorder:
 Have excessively high standards for their social
performance
 Focus on negative aspects of social interactions
and evaluate their own behavior harshly

 Mind Reading
Treatments for Social Anxiety Disorder

 Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
(SNRIs)
 Cognitive-behavioral therapy
 Identifying negative cognitions people have and learning
how to dispute these cognitions
 Mindfulness-based interventions
 Accept anxiety and observe it rather than judging oneself
and avoiding people or situations
 Separation Anxiety Disorder

 Developmentally inappropriate and excessive

distress and fear when separated from primary
caregivers, along with some of the following:
 Excessive distress when thinking about separation
 Excessive worry about losing the caregiver or
something happening to the caregiver
 Fear leads to avoidance of school or leaving home
 Physical symptoms of distress
 Not diagnosed unless:
 Symptoms persist for at least 4 weeks
 Significantly impair the child’s functioning
 Theories of Separation Anxiety Disorder

 Biological factors
 Tendency toward anxiety is heritable
 Behavioral inhibition: Temperament makes children:
 Shy, fearful, and irritable as toddlers
 Cautious, quiet, and introverted as school-age children

 Psychological and sociocultural factors

 Normal response to controlling and intrusive parents
 Learned behavior from parents who are anxious or
depressed themselves
Treatments for Separation Anxiety Disorder

 Cognitive-behavioral therapies—Teach skills:

 For coping and for challenging cognitions that feed
anxiety
 To learn relaxation exercises to practice when separated
from parents
 To challenge fears about separation and use self-talk to
calm themselves
 Drugs used are antidepressants, antianxiety drugs,
stimulants and antihistamines
Chapter 5
Trauma, Anxiety,
Obsessive-Compulsive
and Related Disorders
Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder (OCD)
 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

 Obsessions: Thoughts, urges, or images that are

persistent and intrusive
 Uncontrollable and unwanted
 Cause significant anxiety or distress

 Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors or mental acts

that an individual feels he or she must perform
 Often aimed at reducing anxiety brought on by obsessions

 Tends to be chronic if left untreated

 OCD: DSM-5

 Presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both.

 The obsessions or compulsions are time-

consuming or cause clinically significant distress or
impairment is social, occupational, or other
important areas of functioning.

 The obsessive-compulsive symptoms are not

attributable to the physiological effects of a
substance or another medical condition.

 The disturbance is not better explained by the

symptoms of another mental disorder.
Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Checklist
(YBOC; Goodman et al., 1989)

 Aggressive obsessions  Cleaning or washing

 Contamination compulsions
obsessions  Checking compulsions
 Sexual obsessions  Repeating rituals
 Hoarding/saving
obsessions*
 Counting compulsions
 Religious obsessions  Ordering or arranging
 Obsession with need compulsions
for symmetry or  Hoarding or collecting
exactness compulsions*
 Somatic obsessions  Miscellaneous
 Miscellaneous compulsions
obsessions