A nurse is educating a group of clients about anxiety disorder risk factors. What factor increases the risk of developing anxiety disorders?

Choice A rationale:

Elevated mood. Elevated mood refers to a heightened emotional state often associated with conditions like mania in bipolar disorder. It is not a typical sign of anxiety disorders.

Choice B rationale:

Avoidance of feared situations. Individuals with anxiety disorders often try to avoid situations or triggers that provoke their anxiety. This avoidance behavior is a coping mechanism aimed at reducing anxiety and is common in disorders like agoraphobia and social anxiety disorder.

Choice C rationale:

Decreased heart rate. Anxiety typically leads to an increased heart rate due to the body's fight-or-flight response. A decreased heart rate is not a common sign of anxiety disorders.

Choice D rationale:

Compulsive behaviors. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors performed in response to obsessive thoughts. They are characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is an anxiety disorder.

Choice E rationale:

Increased appetite. While some individuals may experience a loss of appetite due to anxiety, others might have an increased appetite. Emotional eating as a response to anxiety can lead to overeating and weight gain.

Choice A rationale:

"You're experiencing marked fear of specific objects, right?" This statement relates to specific phobias, where individuals have intense fear of particular objects or situations, which is not indicative of panic disorder.

Choice B rationale:

"Your fear of open spaces is leading to avoidance behavior, correct?" This choice reflects agoraphobia, where individuals fear and avoid places or situations where they might feel trapped or helpless, often due to fear of having a panic attack. However, panic disorder involves unexpected panic attacks without the specific trigger of open spaces.

Choice C rationale:

"You're having unexpected panic attacks followed by persistent fear, aren't you?" This statement accurately represents panic disorder. Individuals with panic disorder experience recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, often followed by apprehension about having more attacks or the consequences of the attacks. This persistent fear of future attacks is a key diagnostic criterion for panic disorder.

Choice D rationale:

"It sounds like you're dealing with obsessions and compulsions." This choice pertains to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which involves intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions). This is distinct from panic disorder.