PSYCH 117: Anxiety Disorders - Introduction and Overview
Medlock Holmes enters the Grand Observatory of Fear and Anxiety.
At the centre stand two enormous warning systems.
One is labelled:
FEAR
The other:
ANXIETY
At first they appear identical.
Both activate the body.
Both sharpen attention.
Both pull behaviour towards avoidance.
Both exist to protect the organism from harm.
But Holmes quickly sees the difference.
Fear is immediate.
A threat is here.
A predator appears.
A car swerves towards the pedestrian.
A dangerous person approaches.
The brain mobilises rapidly.
Anxiety is different.
The threat is not yet present.
It may be distant.
Ambiguous…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.