preview

Anxiety Disorders: A Case Study

Decent Essays

Previously, we mentioned anxiety develops from the perceived gap between one's estimated ability to cope with a challenge, and the estimated difficulty of the task itself. From the example of the two children described above, you can imagine how the son might grow up to become a man who has confidence in his skills when faced with a challenging task. Thus, when estimating the perceived gap between his abilities and a challenging task, he will be less likely to experience anxiety. In contrast, the daughter may grow up to be a woman who lacks this self-confidence. When she is faced with a challenging task, she is more likely to experience anxiety. This is because she is likely to overestimate the perceived gap between her abilities and the task …show more content…

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for Panic Disorder usually begins with psychoeducation about the disorder. Psycho-education assists therapy participants and their family members to better understand the disorder. This increased understanding serves an important therapeutic purpose. You may recall that two specific cognitive distortions result in an inaccurate appraisal of risk. This inaccurate appraisal of risk subsequently leads to an increase in anxiety symptoms. These are: 1) the overestimation of threat and 2) the underestimation of coping abilities. Psychoeducation allows for a more accurate appraisal of risk and an improvement in coping skills. This combination serves to limit or eliminate panic attacks.
Psychoeducation teaches therapy participants that the physical sensations of the fight-or-flight response are harmless. Therefore, persons-in-recovery learn to interpret the physical sensations that occur during a panic attack. This increased knowledge reduces the anxiety resulting from an overestimation of the risk posed by a panic attack. People with Panic Disorder are comforted to know that although it seems like they are losing control or having a heart attack, these panic symptoms are not

Get Access