Psychiatric Medications Q 36
Richard with agoraphobia has been symptom-free for 4 months. Classic signs and symptoms of phobias include:
A. Insomnia and an inability to concentrate.
B. Severe anxiety and fear.
C. Depression and weight loss.
D. Withdrawal and failure to distinguish reality from fantasy.
Correct Answer: B. Severe anxiety and fear.
Phobias cause severe anxiety (such as a panic attack) that is out of proportion to the threat of the feared object or situation. Physical signs and symptoms of phobias include profuse sweating, poor motor control, tachycardia, and elevated blood pressure. Patients with a specific phobia experience high levels of anxiety and panic attacks along with excessive and unreasonable fear due to either exposure or anticipation of exposure to a feared stimulus. As a result, these patients will try to avoid the anxiety-provoking stimulus to any extent possible.
Option A: Symptoms include excessive, unreasonable, persistent feelings of fear or anxiety that are triggered by a particular object, activity or situation. Feelings are either irrational or out of proportion to any actual threat. For example, while anyone may be afraid of an unrestrained, menacing dog, most people do not run away from a calm, quiet animal on a leash.
Option C: Insomnia, an inability to concentrate, and weight loss are common in depression. Anxiety-related physical symptoms. These can include tremors, palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea or other symptoms that reflect the body’s “fight or flight” response to danger. (Symptoms such as these may lead to a diagnosis of panic disorder.)
Option D: Withdrawal and failure to distinguish reality from fantasy occur in schizophrenia. Avoidance of the object, activity, or situation that triggers the phobia. Because people who have phobias recognize that their fears are exaggerated, they are often ashamed or embarrassed about their symptoms. To prevent anxiety symptoms or embarrassment, they avoid the triggers for the phobia.