Abnormal Psychology

Preface xxv

• Like the Feedback Loops in Action fi gures, the Feedback Loops in Treating a

Disorder fi gures serve several purposes: (1) The fi gures provide a visual summary

of the treatments for the various disorders; (2) they illustrate the interactive nature

of successful treatment, the fact that a treatment may directly target one type

of factor but change in that factor in turn affects other factors; (3) their overall

structure is the same for each disorder, which allows students to compare and

contrast the specifi cs of the feedback loops across disorders.

7.6 • Feedback Loops in Action: Panic Disorder (With Agoraphobia)

Figure 7.6

7676 • •FeedbackLoops inAction:PanicDisorder(With Agoraphobia)

gue7.6

Mental Processes andMental Contents

Catastrophic thinking

Anxiety sensitivity

Misinterpretation of bodily sensations

Hypervigilance

Affect

Fear of fear

Behavior

Learning of false alarms

Avoidance of triggering stimuli

Stressful Life Events

Stressful events,

particularly during childhood

Gender/Culture

Increasing anxiety- proneness in

more recent birth

cohorts

Family

Reliance on a safe person perpetuates

the disorder

Genetics

Inherited tendency to

be anxious

Neural Communication

NeuroPsychoSocial

Norepinephrine

Serotonin

Brain Systems

Frontal lobes

Limbic system

Locus coeruleus

NeuroPsychoSocial NeuroPsychoSocial

Figure 7.7

7.7 • Feedback Loops in

Treating Panic Disorder

and Agoraphobia

Changes neural activity

Treatments Targeting

Neurological Factors

Medication: SSRIs,

SNRIs, TCAs,

benzodiazepines

Treatments Targeting

Psychological Factors

CBT: Breathing

retraining, relaxation,

interoceptive

exposure, exposure to agoraphobia-related

stimuli,

psychoeducation,

cognitive restructuring

Changes thoughts,

feelings, and

behaviors

Decreases shame and

isolation

Increases family members’ support

Treatments Targeting

Social Factors

Group therapy

Couples therapyor family