Abnormal Psychology

272 CHAPTER 7

For example, a man’s argument with his wife might arouse his anger and in-

crease his breathing rate. Breathing faster results in a lower carbon dioxide level

in the blood, which then leads the blood vessels to constrict—which means less

oxygen throughout the brain and body; the ensuing physical sensations (such as

light- headedness) may be misinterpreted as the early stages of suffocation, leading

the man to panic (Coplan et al., 1998). This is how such physical changes can serve

as a false alarm (Beck, 1976). After many false alarms, the associated sensations may

become learned alarms and trigger panic in the absence of a social stressor (Barlow,

1988). Also, this man may become hypervigilant for alarm signals of panic attacks,

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

Figure 7.6g7

Mental Processes and

Mental 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