Question

Psychological disorders are fascinating to most of us, as they are to those who have them -- and it's an unusual one of us who doesn't at times suspect we have a disorder ourselves (especially after studying Intro to Psych!). Consider Russell Crowe's powerful and heartbreaking depiction in A Beautiful Mind of Princeton Professor and Nobel Laureate John Nash who suffers with schizophrenia, or Jack Nicholson's sad portrayal of a romance fiction novelist with OCD in As Good as it Gets -- the way people with psychological disorders think and experience life is intriguing to us, though frightening and often very sad.

Psychological disorders can be categorized into four general areas -- anxiety disorders, personality disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia.

Let's first take a look at the anxiety-related disorders and how they may relate to one another.

Why might people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Panic Disorder develop a lot of phobias? What specific kinds of learning might be involved? (Many of us have phobias to snakes or mice -- why would someone with very high anxiety develop many such phobias? Try to base your proposals on psychological theories, not "common sense.")

Answer 1

Generalized anxiety disorder is excessive worry without any reason, it is exagerated startle reflex.People having GAD generally get excited and develop phobias. Due to their severe worry and tension they tend to develop phobias. Phobia is extreme or irrational fear against something Hence people with anxiety disorders can not stop worrying or can not control their emotions, hence they can develop phobias. People with GAD are unable to relax, they are always irritable, they many a times expect negative consequences. All these factors contribute to Phobias. Specific phobia is fear developed by specific objects which posses little or na danger.For some children or teens fear can become very severe over time, eg, bad trainer during swimming at childhood may lead to the phobia of drowining. Phobia is usually developed when the situation is not handeled correctly. Some specific phobias can run through genetics also. There is no learning as such for the development of phobias there are only experiences.For eg, if child is bitten by dogs or being chased by dogs he/she may develop fear and later phobia of dogs in not treated at right age.