- Published: September 29, 2022
- Updated: September 29, 2022
- Level: Intermediate School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 17
Anxiety Disorders In the development and research of mental disorders, psychologist have looked for ways in order to group disorders together based on similarities in order to create better diagnoses as well as better treatments. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) is the fourth edition of the diagnostic manual that is put out by the American Psychological Association which is meant to be used by psychologists as a desk reference in the diagnosis and treatment of clients. One of the more studied clusters of disorders in psychology has been in anxiety disorders. Anxiety is when a person reacts in apprehension, sometimes in both a psychological and physiological manner. Two types of anxiety disorders are obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). OCD is characterized by repetitive obsessions with a particular kind of phenomenon. One of the aspects of this disorder is through the use of rituals. For example, someone who is OCD about bacteria might was their hands an obsessive amount of times in order to make sure they have gotten rid of the bacteria. It is the fourth most commonly diagnosed psychological disorder. There is strong evidence to support that this condition not only has environmental and behavioral triggers, but also that there is a biological component involved in the neurochemistry of behavior. The most common forms of treatment for this disorder is through the use of behavioral therapy in which a therapist tries to make the ritualistic behavior, obsessions and compulsions extinct through classical and operant conditioning. Also, in some cases psychopharmacology is used in order to help supplement the counseling therapy. PTSD is a condition which often is the result of some sort of traumatic incident in a person’s life. This can range anywhere from military combat to sexual abuse. There are many different symptoms of PTSD, but the most common of these is flashbacks, hallucinations, and are more likely to succumb to forms of substance abuse and domestic violence. In addition to the cognitive factors surrounding PTSD, there are also fundamental changes in the person’s neurochemistry due to the prolonged activation of the adrenal cortex and the stimulation of the secretion of Cortisol and catecholamines. There are many different ways in which to help with the treatment of PTSD. The most common type of therapy used is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It works on the theory that by modifying the traumatic thought patterns that you will be able to change the behavior. In addition, due to the damage in neurochemistry, medication may be used in order to help bring equilibrium back to the body’s hormones and neurotransmitter levels. In both of these anxiety disorders, the common type of therapy is through the use of types of behavioral therapy as well as medication. By being able to alter the behavior, you are able to make the abnormal behavior become extinct through a variety of training techniques. Even though OCD and PTSD are similar in that they are anxiety disorders, both are still relatively dissimilar in both of their diagnoses and criterion in order to qualify as having the disorder.