Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Anxiety Disorders539For example, consider Hahnee, a 45-year-old mother of two school-age children.She can go for days without feeling anxious, but then, without warning, she may suddenlyexperience an attack of intense anxiety and fearfulness. Her heart begins topound, she feels as if she can’t breathe, and she perspires heavily. On more than oneoccasion, her children have called an ambulance because Hahnee was convinced shewas having a heart attack. As her panic attacks increased in frequency and severity,Hahnee quit her job, fearful that she might have a panic attack at work, and eventuallygave up driving because she was afraid that she might have a panic attack in thecar. It is becoming harder and harder for Hahnee to force herself to leave her home.Explaining Panic DisorderPeople with panic disorder are often hypersensitive to the signs of physical arousal(Zvolensky & Smits, 2008). The fluttering heartbeat or momentary dizziness thatthe average person barely notices signals disaster to the panic-prone. David Barlowand his colleagues (2007) suggested that this oversensitivity to physical arousal isone of three important factors in the development of panic disorder. Their triplevulnerabilities model of panic states that a biological predisposition toward anxiety,a low sense of control over potentially life-threatening events, and an oversensitivityto physical sensations combine to make a person vulnerable to panic (Craske & Barlow,2008).People with panic disorder may also be victims of their own illogical thinking. Accordingto the catastrophic cognitions theory, people with panic disorder are not onlyoversensitive to physical sensations, they also tend to catastrophize the meaning oftheir experience (Good & Hinton, 2009; Hinton & Hinton, 2009). A few momentsof increased heart rate after climbing a flight of stairs is misinterpreted as the warningsigns of a heart attack. Such catastrophic misinterpretations simply add to the physiologicalarousal, creating a vicious circle in which the frightening symptoms intensify.After such occurrences, the person may become even more attuned to the physicalchanges that could signal the onset of another frightening attack. Ironically, this sensitivityonly increases the likelihood that another panic attack will occur.Syndromes resembling panic disorder have been reported in manycultures(Chentsova-Dutton & Tsai, 2007; Hinton & Hinton, 2009; Li & others,2007). For example, the Spanish phrase ataque de nervios literally means “attack ofnerves.” It’s a disorder reported in many Latin American cultures, in Puerto Rico,and among Latinos in the United States. Ataque de nervios has many symptoms incommon with panic disorder—heart palpitations, dizziness, and the fear of dying,going crazy, or losing control. However, the person experiencing ataque de nerviosalso becomes hysterical. She may scream, swear, strike out at others, and breakthings. Ataque de nervios typically follows a severe stressor, especiallyone involving a family member. Funerals, accidents, or family conflictsoften trigger such attacks. Because ataque de nervios tends to elicit immediatesocial support from others, it seems to be a culturally shaped,acceptable way to respond to severe stress.The PhobiasFear and LoathingA phobia is a persistent and irrational fear of a specific object, situation,or activity. In the general population, mild irrational fears that don’tsignificantly interfere with a person’s ability to function are very common.Many people are fearful of certain animals, such as dogs or snakes,or are moderately uncomfortable in particular situations, such as flyingin a plane or riding in a glass elevator. Nonetheless, many people copewith such fears without being overwhelmed with anxiety. As long as thefear doesn’t interfere with their daily functioning, they would not be diagnosedwith a psychological disorder.panic attackA sudden episode of extreme anxiety thatrapidly escalates in intensity.panic disorderAn anxiety disorder in which the person experiencesfrequent and unexpected panicattacks.agoraphobiaAn anxiety disorder involving the extremeand irrational fear of experiencing a panicattack in a public situation and being unableto escape or get help.phobiaA persistent and irrational fear of a specificobject, situation, or activity.© The New Yorker Collection 2004, Roz Chast, from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.