Module 50 Introduction

Anxiety Disorders, OCD, and PTSD

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Anxiety is part of life. Speaking in front of a class, peering down from a ladder, or waiting to play in a big game, any one of us might feel anxious. Anxiety may even cause us to avoid talking or making eye contact—“shyness,” we call it. Fortunately for most of us, our uneasiness is not intense and persistent. Some of us, however, are more prone to notice and remember threats (Mitte, 2008). When the brain’s danger-detection system becomes hyperactive, we are at greater risk for an anxiety disorder, or for two other disorders that involve anxiety: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).1