Best of 2009 - Posted by A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 18:14 - 18 Comments 
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(4 votes, average: 3.75 out of 5) Loading ...BEST OF 2009: ‘Fear of fear’ is such a downer
“Those with anxiety sensitivity are afraid of their anxiety because their interpretation is that something catastrophic is going to happen when their anxious sensations arise,” says Andres Viana. Statistical analyses of questionnaire responses showed that anxiety sensitivity, after controlling for worry and generalized anxiety symptoms in above-average worriers, significantly predicted depression symptoms.
PENN STATE (US)—People who are overly anxious often find themselves in a Catch-22 of fear so intense it results in depression, a new study finds.
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Understanding how sensitivity to anxiety is a risk factor for depression may make anxiety sensitivity a potential target for treating depression in the future.
“Anxiety sensitivity has been called a fear of fear,” says Andres Viana, a graduate student in psychology at Penn State.
“Those with anxiety sensitivity are afraid of their anxiety because their interpretation is that something catastrophic is going to happen when their anxious sensations arise.”
Statistical analyses of questionnaire responses showed that anxiety sensitivity, after controlling for worry and generalized anxiety symptoms in above-average worriers, significantly predicted depression symptoms.
In addition, two of the four dimensions that make up anxiety sensitivity: the “fear of cognitive dyscontrol” and the “fear of publicly observable anxiety symptoms” specifically predicted depression symptoms.
The third and fourth dimensions, the fear of cardiovascular symptoms and the fear of respiratory symptoms, were not significant predictors.
“We were interested in examining the relationship between anxiety sensitivity as a whole and depression,” Viana says.
“In addition, we looked at the different dimensions of anxiety sensitivity to see which correlated with depression symptoms. One of the novel aspects of our study was to look at anxiety sensitivity in a sample of moderate to high worriers.”
Viana worked with Brian Rabian, associate clinical professor and director of the psychological clinic at Penn State. Their findings were published in the December issue of the Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
The researchers recruited 94 participants, 74 females and 22 males, with an average age of 19.
All participants were above-average, or moderate to high worriers, on two questionnaires for worry and generalized anxiety disorder, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, respectively.
Viana and Rabian assessed anxiety sensitivity for each participant with a revised version of the Anxiety sensitivity index, a 36-item questionnaire that determines the fear of anxious sensations.
By rating questions like, “when my thoughts seems to speed up, I worry I might be going crazy,” on a scale ranging from one to five, researchers were able to determine if participants were sensitive to anxiety and which of the four dimensions they were most fearful of.
“With anxiety sensitivity we are really talking about an individual’s interpretation of anxiety symptoms, so the only way to get at that is by asking the person what they think in the form of a self-report questionnaire,” explains Viana.
Researchers also asked participants to complete the Beck Depression Inventory, a 21-item questionnaire which assesses depression.
Participants then rated on a scale of zero to three the degree to which they experience symptoms of sadness, hopefulness or guilt.
“What we found was that the fear of the cognitive sensations typical of anxiety, like the inability to concentrate, was related to depression,” says Viana.
“We also found that the link exists in people who are afraid of symptoms that could potentially have social implications or symptoms of anxiety that may be subject to negative evaluation.”
Because anxiety sensitivity has been linked to depression in several studies, anxiety sensitivity may be a target for clinicians. Current depression therapies tend to focus solely on depressive symptoms, not anxiety sensitivity.
Viana thinks future therapy may incorporate working with people to alter their perception of anxious sensations by helping them interpret their experiences in a positive and less fearful way.
Viana acknowledges the limitations to using questionnaires in his study. He thinks future research should identify individuals with anxiety sensitivity and track them over time to see if depression develops.
The study was funded by a Pennsylvania Psychological Foundation Education Award.
Pennsylvania State University news: http://live.psu.edu/
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18 Comments
Rowland Institute Library Blog » Library News & Notes 12/4/09
[...] ‘Fear of fear’ can lead to depression [...]
i have been treated for above disorder, but here in belgium they call this ‘fear disorder’. there has been many studies about this disorder, and from what i understand is that people with fear disorders hacce a lower threshold of their ‘fight or flight’ module in the brains. many of the people who have the disorder are also linked with cannabis usage and a lower self-image. if someone does not seek help they will most likely develop fobia and become isolated from society.
but i wonder how big this is though.
‘Fear of fear’ probably grows in you after a series of repeated problems where your fears are heightened. Only because of the trauma of each particular event and the repetition of it you’d become fearful of fear itself.
so in this case it’s quite normal to reach a fear of fear stage.
That can be wiped out very quickly in the mind of patients with breathing techniques and deconstructing what has happened.
Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – December 6, 2009 « Bill Mullins’ Weblog – Tech Thoughts
[...] Fear of fear’ can lead to depression – People who are overly anxious often find themselves in a Catch-22 of fear so intense it results in depression. [...]
Oliver
Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anxiety. Anxiety leads to depression. Depression leads to… suffering -Jedi Consular Yoda
What does NoFear of NoFear lead to?
Peter
This is true. I suffered from depression following a series of life-threatening-accidents/sicknesses for years and found I began to worry about everything and couldn’t see any light. Now though nothing has changed and I’m living in semi-poverty I have learned to “let things go” worry and stress that is. I feel strongly however that If I could be part of a group of some sort I would feel even better. This I think is where religion/s get their grip on people. Using un-rational fears in a rational way to promote the group above the individual.
now its going to make people afraid of becoming depressed
Peter
Perhaps you mean that as a “joke”. Considering that depression is a greater debilitater than cancer there’s nothing funny about it. Worse it affects those around the victim – it’s almost like smoking. Even if the victim/smoker does survive the fallout around can be very bad too. It’s possible I got leukaemia via passive smoking, or from swimming in Dundalk Bay (a lot) as a child. 12% of East Louth people are coming up as leukaemia sufferers. That ain’t funny either.
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
-Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear
(from Frank Herbert’s Dune Series
I have a touch of highwaydriving anxiety. It just hit me one day when on the road. Worrying about it can actually make it happen.
I have a touch of highwaydriving anxiety. It just hit me one day when on the road. Worrying about it can actually make it happen.
GEORGE
A friend of mine lived on the dark side for 30 years or so. (Drugs, prostitution, etc.) Several times she was in situations so dangerous she should have been killed When your fear screams “RUN!” or “HIDE!” or “TIME TO GO” or maybe just “SOMETHING’S WRONG – GET OUT” you can’t stop to think about it.
Now she’s afraid of being afraid. Can you blame her?
PS
PTSD also comes to mind.
fearfactor
Big surprise here, that having your life ruined by a disorder that there is little good treatment for can somehow make someone depressed. I think there should be a study of just how many pointless, useless, psychology studies are done every year, and exactly how much money gets wasted on them. Money that could fund actual scientific studies, that look at the brain with PET scanners or other technology, so scientists can maybe learn actual factual information that might actually help someone suffering from an anxiety disorder. Polling 96 people about subjective information is riddled with problems and these researchers should be ashamed of themselves for continuing to take grant money for foolishness such as this study. The sooner the pseudoscience of psychology gets out of the research business, the better chances there might be for an actual treatment, or dare I say it, cure for anxiety disorders.
Justin White
You are right man. Life is just to short to be scared. I mean really.
A broader age range for testing would have been good too, but I guess having a control group in about the same age might be good as well. And they had over 3 times the number of females in the test group, should have been about 50/50 in my opinion.
Anyway, interesting study, hope to hear more about it.
we have nothing to fear, but fear itself. so be very AFRAID! very AFFFRAAAAAAAAAAIIIIDD!
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One point that should be evaluated is the possibility that a person might learn anxiety sensetivity by using anxiety symptoms as a manipulative tool. Red Foxx in “Sanford and Son” with his fake heart attacks is a good example. After faking problems enough times the problem takes over and becomes real. Anyone who has spent time in emergency rooms recognizes “Mom’s Heart Condition” when the grown kids don’t come over for holidays.