Abnormal Psychology -- Anxiety, Affective,

Abnormal Psychology -- Anxiety, Affective, Dissociative

At some point or another, a person will likely experience severe sadness or depression, anxiety, or even a touch of insanity. But think of what it would feel like to have to live with a disorder- be it an anxiety disorder, a mood disorder or a somatic or dissociative disorder? Imagine how disruptive such a disorder would have on simple, everyday activities that many take for granted, such as going to work or how difficult it would be like in seemingly simple social interactions. This paper shall describe three major kinds of disorders, namely, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and somatoform and dissociative disorders.

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is the fear or apprehension over a future anticipated problem (Kring, et.al., 2007, 122). As a coping mechanism, anxiety is not necessarily a bad thing (Kring, et.al, 2007, 122). However, if such anxiety becomes so great as to disrupt everyday life and normal functioning then it is called an anxiety disorder (Pinel, 2006, 458). Individuals diagnosed with anxiety disorders have chronic fear, even at the absence of any real threat (Pinel, 2006).

As shown in the matrix, there are different forms of this disorder, such as various phobias (e.g., agoraphobia or specific phobia), panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and acute distress disorder (Kring, et.al., 2007). All anxiety disorders are linked to feelings of anxiety like fear, worry or dependency (Pinel, 2006, 458). Physical manifestations of these disorders may include rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure, nausea, difficulty in breathing, disturbances in sleep, and high glucocorticoid levels (Pinel, 2006, 458). Anxiety disorders are genetic and are often triggered by highly stressful situations (Pinel, 2006). Also, since these disorders are often focused on certain objects or situations, a person's experience or history may play a large role in shaping the disorder (Pinel, 2006). For example, a person with high anxiety over having high blood pressure may have a family history of heart attacks (Pinel, 2006).

Mood or Affective Disorders

Many people feel depressed sometimes, for example, after a tragic event, such as the death of a loved one. However, most people are able to recover from depression. Individuals with mood or affective disorders like major depression or bipolar affective disorder experience extreme sadness and/or mania throughout their entire lives.

Those with major depression are plagued with profound sadness and/or the inability to feel pleasure (Kring, et.al., 2007, 230). Such depression may be so severe that it makes it painful to keep up with everyday activities (Pinel, 2006). Those with major depression may not be able to fall or stay asleep, while others may complain of being tired even after sleeping for hours (Kring, et.al., 2007, 230). Individuals with bipolar affective disorder experience periods of major depression but also periods of extreme mania (Pinel, 2006). Mood disorders are genetic and may most likely be linked to stress (Pinel, 2006).