Disorders versus behavior

What is abnormal behavior? Psychologists have difficulties describing abnormal behavior. Usually they define abnormal behavior as the behavior that causes people to experience distress and prevents them from functioning in their daily lives. In the world there are a lot of psychological disorders that can change or influence one’s behavior. Some make behavior totally different for what it used to be and others change just a small part of person normal behavior. I will try to cover just a small part of psychological disorders that can influence behavior – anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders are the occurrence of anxiety without an obvious external cause affecting daily functioning. There are few major anxiety disorders like: Phobic disorder, Panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder.
I will try to cover each of them and explain how each of them influences one’s behavior.
Phobic Disorder- Phobias involve persistent, unrealistic, intense anxiety about and fear of certain situations, circumstances, or objects. People who have a certain phobia avoid situations that trigger their anxiety and fear, or they have to endure them with great distress. So if person has a phobia of height it wouldn’t really influence his/hers behavior. However if one have strangers fear it may influence behavior that much, that person wouldn’t leave his home for years.

Panic disorder- is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress. Panic attacks seemingly come out of nowhere and are unconnected to any specific stimulus. Because of that victims of this disorder panic and may become fearful of going places. So before panic disorder has occurred a person would go out with great pleasure, however after disorder he or she most likely will try to avoid going outside. People with this disorder usually avoid doing any kind of activity that could lead to psychical arousal.

Generalized anxiety disorder- the experience of long term persistent anxiety and worry. Sometimes that concern may be work, home, family and ect. People with this disorder feel that something dreadful is about to happen, but can’t identify the reason. So usually people can’t concentrate and put aside the worry. Over the time their lives become centered on their worry. In some cases people can’t even do anything more than sit and worry.

All in all, psychological disorders can influence our behavior, but it is not that they can change everything.

References:
Robert S.Feldman. Understanding Psychology. 8th edition. Module 49.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/panic-disorder/index.shtml
(Found on 9th of November, 2010)
http://merck.com/mmhe/sec07/ch100/ch100e.html
(Found on 9th of November, 2010)