A Patient Reports That Her First Panic Attack Was Frightening

question 147

Multiple Choice

A patient reports that her first panic attack was frightening and embarrassing. She was in the mall and people gathered around her. Over the next few months, the attacks started occurring more frequently, almost always in public places. Now she is afraid to leave the safety of her house. It appears that this individual has developed:

• A) bipolar depression.
• B) a personality disorder.
• C) agoraphobia.
• D) a dissociative disorder.

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Definitions:

Psychodynamic Theory

Sigmund Freud’s perspective, which emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and conflicts as forces that determine behavior.

Conflicting Personality

A situation or condition where an individual's traits or behaviors are at odds, leading to internal tension or inconsistency.

Drive-Reduction Theory

The view that organisms learn to engage in behaviors that have the effect of reducing drives.

Self-actualization

The process of realizing and fulfilling one's own potential and capabilities, often seen as the highest level of psychological development described by Maslow.