Julia Cooper

Psychology 101
10/20/2015

Anxiety Disorders: Module 22

Knew, New, Wonder

Knew: An anxiety disorder is a condition characterized by an individual feeling anxiety that is

out of proportion to the danger elicited by an object or situation, and the anxiety interferes with
the persons normal daily functioning (Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian pg 509).
I know a lot about anxiety and the disorders that come along with it, mainly because I had
been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in the 3rd grade. When I went to see a
psychologist, my mom told me it was because I worry too much. My knowledge of anxiety has
tremendously expanded since then, and I understand that anxiety has way more to do with than
just a little bit of worrying. Our textbook classifies General Anxiety Disorder as an excessive or
unrealistic worry about almost everything or feeling that something bad is about to happen (pg
517). GAD can control a persons life; for me it involved constant breakdowns over the simplest
of things, such as what I was planning on wearing the next day. Things that shouldnt really
matter in the long run suddenly become the most important thing in your life. Anxiety disorder
can also lead to panic attacks, or a period of intense fear or discomfort (pg 517) that can result
in many issues, one being panic disorder. One of the worst parts about anxiety is that it cannot be
seen, and a lot of the time goes untreated. Kids and even adults go on with their lives believing
that something is wrong with them, and while they might have a disorder, it is something fairly
common that a lot of people suffer from. They should know they are not alone.

Julia Cooper
Psychology 101
10/20/2015
New: Taijin kyofusho, or TKS, is a kind of social phobia characterized by a terrible fear of
offending others through awkward social or physical behavior (pg 522).
Ive got to admit: I LOVE awkward situations, so this phobia came as a complete shock
to me. In Japan, however, this fear is considered kind of normal, being the 3rd most common
psychiatric disorder in the country. It is interesting to see the cultural differences. Eye contact for
instance is much more prevelant in Western cultures, where little to no eye contact points to
social abnormalities. In Japan, making eye contact or staring is a legitimate fear. This is very
intriguing. I would love to learn more about social behaviors in other cultures.

Wonder:
-It would be really interesting to study different social disorders in different countries and
comparing them with the cultural norm. How much does culture affect the way we conduct
ourselves?
-What is the effect of little to no eye contact between people? Does this have downsides in
Japan? Humans use eye contact as a way of connection and communication, could this be a
cause of TKS?
-A lot of doctors suggest medication for phobiaswhat does this really affect? Does medication
help in an effort to cure a persons fear (like exposure therapy), or does it just mitigate the
symptoms?