Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

compulsion
An irresistible urge to 
repeatedly carry out some act that 
seems strange and unreasonable.
FIGURE 2 
Frequency of symptoms in 
cases of generalized anxiety disorder. 
(Source: Adapted from Beck & Emery, 1985, 
pp. 87–88.)
20
0
40
60
80
100
10
30
50
70
90
Percentage of cases in which symptom occurs
Unable to relax
Difficulty concentrating
Tense
Frightened
Fear of losing control
Jumpy
Unable to control thoughts
Confusion
Weakness all over
Terrified
Hands sweating
Heart racing
Wobbly
Speech blocked
Sweating all over
Fear of dying
Difficulty breathing
Hands trembling
Nausea
Diarrhea
Feeling of choking
Actual fainting
Symptom
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Module 47 
The Major Psychological Disorders 
517
If I didn’t grab the molding on the wall just the right way as I entered or 
exited my room; if I didn’t hang a shirt in the closet perfectly; if I didn’t read a 
paragraph a certain way; if my hands and nails weren’t perfectly clean, I thought 
my incorrect behavior would kill my parents (Summers, 2000, p. 42).
Although carrying out compulsive rituals may lead to some immediate 
reduction of anxiety, in the long run the anxiety returns. In fact, people with 
severe cases lead lives fi lled with unrelenting tension (Goodman, Rudorfer, & 
Maser, 2000; Penzel, 2000).
 THE CAUSES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS 
We’ve considered the four major types of anxiety disorders, but there are others as well. 
For instance, posttraumatic stress disorder (in which a person re-experiences a stressful 
event in vivid fl ashbacks or dreams and which we discussed when we considered 
stress) is classifi ed as an anxiety disorder. 
The variety of anxiety disorders means that no single explanation fi ts all cases. 
Genetic factors clearly are part of the picture. For example, if one member of a pair 
of identical twins has panic disorder, there is a 30% chance that the other twin will 
have it also. Furthermore, a person’s characteristic level of anxiety is related to a 
specifi c gene involved in the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This is 
consistent with fi ndings indicating that certain chemical defi ciencies in the brain 
appear to produce some kinds of anxiety disorder (Holmes et al., 2003; Beidel & 
Turner, 2007; Chamberlain et al., 2008). 
Some researchers believe that an overactive autonomic nervous system may be 
at the root of panic attacks. Specifi cally, they suggest that poor regulation of the 
brain’s locus ceruleus may lead to panic attacks, which cause the limbic system to 
become overstimulated. In turn, the overstimulated limbic system produces chronic 
anxiety, which ultimately leads the locus ceruleus to generate still more panic attacks 
(Pine et al., 2000; Balaban, 2002; Davies et al., 2008). 
There are also biological causes at work in OCD. For example, researchers have 
found differences in the brains of those with the disorder compared to those without 
it (see Figure 3 ; Christian et al., 2008).