Lesson Notes

Lesson 14.2a  Four Major Anxiety Disorders: The Problem of Fear

In this lesson you will explore the four main types of anxiety disorders.  Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder encompass most of the anxiety disorders experienced by people today. Although each of them has several characteristics in common, they all have distinct differences that make each of them unique. For example, most anxiety disorders have symptoms that include increased heart rate, shortness of breath and/or sweating, but when you look at specific criteria, disorders such as phobias occur due to an irrational fear of an object or situation, while a panic attack is feeling intense anxiety that lasts for a approximately ten minutes for no specific reason. Understanding the commonalities and differences between the four types of anxiety disorders is the key to this lesson.

Lesson 14.2b  Explaining Anxiety Disorders: Multiple Roots

So what causes anxiety disorders? Is it all in our heads or is it learned behaviour? Perhaps our anxiety serves an evolutionary purpose. These are some of the questions you will explore in this lesson. As with many areas of psychology, there are differing perspectives about the same question. Each of the theories to the roots of anxiety disorders has credence. One of the most interesting theories is the sociocultural theory which looks at the rise of anxiety disorders over the decades. What do you think is the explanation for the rise in anxiety disorders in our society? Perhaps by the end of this lesson you will have a better idea.