Anxiety Disorders
H
oward Hughes is famous for many things: He was
an industrialist, creating Hughes Aircraft Company
and designing the planes his company built; he was
an aviator who broke fl ying records; he was the owner of
hotels and casinos; he was a reclusive billionaire who di-
rected an Academy Award–winning film. Born in 1905
to wealthy parents in Houston, Texas, Hughes set his
sights on accomplishing feats that people said couldn’t
be done, and he achieved them nonetheless. During his
lifetime, people around the world recognized his name
and his accomplishments.
Earl Campbell, born in 1955, gained considerable fame as a
National Football League (NFL) running back from 1978 to 1985.
Campbell was such an outstanding athlete that he was voted most
valuable player for each of his fi rst 3 years with the NFL. He was
later inducted into the Football Hall of Fame and went on to achieve
in other areas of life: He became a food manufacturer, restaurateur,
and businessman.
Unlike Hughes, Campbell was not born to wealth and privilege.
He grew up in a small Texas town with 10 brothers and sisters, all
living in a three-bedroom house that had its bathroom outdoors. Be-
tween May and August, the whole family worked in the nearby rose
fi elds, cutting the fl owers; in the autumn, they hauled hay for local
farmers. When Campbell was 11 years old, his father died of a heart
attack; his mother held the family together with her strong sense of
morality and work ethic, which she instilled in her children.
Both of these men—Hughes and Campbell—possessed remark-
able talents and abilities and an unusually strong drive to achieve.
But they also shared another characteristic—they both suffered
from symptoms of anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders involve sig-
nifi cant fear, agitation, and nervousness and can impair functioning
in any or all spheres of life, including school, work, and interper-
sonal relationships. Both Hughes and Campbell developed such
severe anxiety symptoms that they were unable to work effectively.
However, the specifi c forms taken by their anxiety symptoms dif-
fered, as we’ll see.
In this chapter, we discuss six types of anxiety disorders that are
described in DSM-IV-TR: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disor-
der, social phobia, specifi c phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder,
and posttraumatic stress disorder. We’ll start with a general discussion
of what anxiety is and identify some of the common features of the247CHAPTER
7
Chapter Outline
Common Features of Anxiety Disorders
What Is Anxiety?
The Fight-or-Flight Response Gone Awry
Comorbidity of Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?
Understanding Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Panic Disorder (With and Without
Agoraphobia)
The Panic Attack—A Key Ingredient of Panic
Disorder
What Is Panic Disorder?
What Is Agoraphobia?
Understanding Panic Disorder and
Agoraphobia
Treating Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
Earl Campbell’s Anxiety
Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)
What Is Social Phobia?
Understanding Social Phobia
Treating Social Phobia
Specifi c Phobias
What Is Specifi c Phobia?
Specifi cs About Specifi c Phobias
Understanding Specifi c Phobias
Treating Specifi c Phobias
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
Understanding Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder
Treating Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderPosttraumatic Stress Disorder Contents xiii
Stress Versus Traumatic Stress
What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Criticisms of the DSM-IV-TR Criteria for
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Understanding Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder
Treating Posttraumatic Stress DisorderHoward Hughes and Anxiety Disorders
Don Kilpatrick/Morgan Gaynin