You will read some descriptions of people experiencing an anxiety or anxiety-related disorder. Based on what you’ve learned, what type of anxiety or anxiety-related disorder is it (pick one of the 6 for each scenario)?
General Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Specific Phobia
Social Anxiety Disorder
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
John is driving down the road and is overcome with a feeling that something is going to happen. His heart rate increases, he feels dizzy, and he begins sweating profusely.
Disorder:
Joan has to check the door seven times before leaving her apartment to make sure it is locked. She also has to turn the faucet on and off seven times after washing her face.
Disorder:
Janet has never flown on an airplane because she has an intense fear of the plane crashing. She has never been able to go and see her son and grandchildren in Hawaii because she would need to fly to get there.
Disorder:
Samantha has been experiencing persistent feelings of unease and stress for eight months. She worries a lot of the time about minor things, with her feelings of worry shifting from one aspect of her life to another. Samantha is unable to specify why she feels this way or what the source of her constant state of vigilance could be.
Disorder:
Joaquin was a soldier in Vietnam and since returning over 35 years ago, he stills wakes up during the night in a cold sweat with his heart beating very fast. He takes five different nerve medications to relax him. He has lost many jobs and can’t seem to hold on to one for more than a couple of months.
Disorder:
Janice has trouble in most situations in which she is around a lot of people, because she is intensely afraid of being humiliated or embarrassed in front of them. Janice has found herself avoiding opportunities to make friends or get to know her coworkers because of this dread of failing in front of them or being rejected.
Disorder:
Playing Amateur Psychologist
Give an example of a fictional character who you think fits one of the diagnostic categories from the DSM for an anxiety-related disorder or a personality disorder. It can be a character from a book, TV show, movie, or any other source so long as it is not a real person. Explain why you think the diagnosis fits, giving examples of how the specific diagnostic criteria apply to the actions of this character.