5.4.E—Describe the symptoms and possible causes of selected anxiety disorders

Describe the symptoms and possible causes of selected anxiety disorders.

• Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive fear and/or anxiety with related disturbances to behavior. Selected disorders in scope for AP Psychology in this category are specific phobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.
  • i. Specific phobia involves fear or anxiety toward a specific object or situation, such as acrophobia (heights) or arachnophobia (spiders).
  • ii. Agoraphobia is intense fear of specific social situations, including using public transportation, being in open spaces, being in enclosed spaces (e.g., shops, theaters, etc.), standing in line or being in a crowd, or being outside of the home alone.
  • iii. Panic disorder involves the experience of panic attacks (unanticipated and overwhelming biological, cognitive, and emotional experiences of fear/anxiety). Panic disorder can manifest as a culturebound anxiety disorder such as ataque de nervios (experienced mainly by people of Caribbean or Iberian descent).
  • iv. Social anxiety disorder involves the intense fear of being judged or watched by others. Social anxiety disorder is distinct from but may include agoraphobia. Taijin kyofusho is a culture-bound anxiety disorder experienced mainly by Japanese people in which people fear others are judging their bodies as undesirable, offensive, or unpleasing.
  • v. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves prolonged experiences of nonspecific anxiety or fear.
• Possible causes of anxiety disorders focus on learned associations between and among stimuli, maladaptive thinking or emotional responses, and biological or genetic sources.