Anxiety disorders are one of the most common psychological disorders among humans. Both, adults and children alike suffer from anxiety disorders. According to textbook, about 15-20% children and adolescents suffer from anxiety disorder (Weis, 2014).
Prevalence of anxiety is much higher in girls compared to boys and adolescents have a higher chance of suffering from anxiety disorder compared to children. According to Weis (2014), anxiety disorders tends to increase with age when we take gender ratio in consideration.
Before we discuss the topic of anxiety disorders in further detail, let’s examine what anxiety actually is and what is the difference between normal anxiety versus maladaptive anxiety.
Anxiety is an intricate state of psychological …show more content…
He starts feeling uneasy about the upcoming text and experiences apprehension. This apprehension makes him want to start studying for the exam in advance so that he can ace it (Maddox, et al., 2016).
The undergraduate is experiencing moderate amount of anxiety which is quite common in daily life. The moderate amount of anxiety is beneficial as it helps us avoid the impending danger but experiencing intense episodes of fear and apprehension frequently can become hazardous.
Maladaptive anxiety can be defined by three ways: intensity, chronicity, and degree of impairment (Maddox, et al., 2016). First, anxiety that is intense and out-of-proportion is considered maladaptive. For example, stage fright is quite common and normal response to speaking in front of public. However, if the person gets physically ill, it is considered maladaptive.
Second, chronic anxiety is considered maladaptive. Worrying is a normal response to impending danger in the near future. However, if the person is always anticipating for the impending danger and experiences extreme agitation along with physical and emotional discomfort, it becomes …show more content…
Therefore, they are more likely to emerge in adolescence. Like Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder first emerge in early adulthood.
Separation Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobia, and Social Anxiety Disorder are quite similar to one another. These three disorders are “recurrent, unwanted fears of specific objects or situations” (Weis, 2014, p. 368)
In Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), a child might experience the fear of leaving her mother when attending the daycare. In Specific Phobia, the child might fear snakes or lizards. Having a similar pattern to fear, a child with Social Anxiety Disorder might experience fear of attending get-togethers and school parties.
When fear starts interfering with the daily life, it is considered maladaptive. In all these disorders, the fear is the main topic and very persistent. It usually interferes with the daily functioning of the children’s lives, too.
But what exactly are these disorders? These disorders are conditioned fear disorders and are caused by a combination of biological and specific learning experiences. These disorders are usually “acquired through classical conditioning and are maintained through negative reinforcements” (Weis, 2014, p.
Prevalence of anxiety is much higher in girls compared to boys and adolescents have a higher chance of suffering from anxiety disorder compared to children. According to Weis (2014), anxiety disorders tends to increase with age when we take gender ratio in consideration.
Before we discuss the topic of anxiety disorders in further detail, let’s examine what anxiety actually is and what is the difference between normal anxiety versus maladaptive anxiety.
Anxiety is an intricate state of psychological …show more content…
He starts feeling uneasy about the upcoming text and experiences apprehension. This apprehension makes him want to start studying for the exam in advance so that he can ace it (Maddox, et al., 2016).
The undergraduate is experiencing moderate amount of anxiety which is quite common in daily life. The moderate amount of anxiety is beneficial as it helps us avoid the impending danger but experiencing intense episodes of fear and apprehension frequently can become hazardous.
Maladaptive anxiety can be defined by three ways: intensity, chronicity, and degree of impairment (Maddox, et al., 2016). First, anxiety that is intense and out-of-proportion is considered maladaptive. For example, stage fright is quite common and normal response to speaking in front of public. However, if the person gets physically ill, it is considered maladaptive.
Second, chronic anxiety is considered maladaptive. Worrying is a normal response to impending danger in the near future. However, if the person is always anticipating for the impending danger and experiences extreme agitation along with physical and emotional discomfort, it becomes …show more content…
Therefore, they are more likely to emerge in adolescence. Like Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder first emerge in early adulthood.
Separation Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobia, and Social Anxiety Disorder are quite similar to one another. These three disorders are “recurrent, unwanted fears of specific objects or situations” (Weis, 2014, p. 368)
In Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), a child might experience the fear of leaving her mother when attending the daycare. In Specific Phobia, the child might fear snakes or lizards. Having a similar pattern to fear, a child with Social Anxiety Disorder might experience fear of attending get-togethers and school parties.
When fear starts interfering with the daily life, it is considered maladaptive. In all these disorders, the fear is the main topic and very persistent. It usually interferes with the daily functioning of the children’s lives, too.
But what exactly are these disorders? These disorders are conditioned fear disorders and are caused by a combination of biological and specific learning experiences. These disorders are usually “acquired through classical conditioning and are maintained through negative reinforcements” (Weis, 2014, p.