The psychology of potential threat: Properties of the security motivation system

Hinds, Andrea; Woody, Erik Z.; Drandic, Ana; Ameringen, Michael Van; Coroneos, Marie K.; Szechtman, Henry

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2010.08.003

Cited by 45 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The securitymotivation theory of OCD (Szechtman and Woody, 2004) is based on the notion that the brain is geared to overreact to anxious signals ("better safe than sorry"). In accordance, it was suggested that the biological mechanism underlying OCD is that of a failure of securityrelated activities to deactivate the security motivation system in response to potential threat, which in OCD could be an illusionary threat (Hinds et al, 2010(Hinds et al, , 2012Woody et al, 2005; see also Boyer and Lienard, 2006).…”

Section: Compulsive Rituals In Ocd Patientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From an animal model to human patients: An example of a translational study on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Eilam

2017

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Compulsive Rituals In Ocd Patientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From an animal model to human patients: An example of a translational study on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Eilam

2017

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…While generally accepted that anxiety serves to prepare a person for threats, 14 so far only a few pioneers have thought in any detail about the implications of this being anxiety's function. 15,16 We believe that there may be considerable benefit for clinicians and researchers in thinking more functionally, as this will shed light on the interconnectedness of the different components of anxiety and help guide and integrate research into the brain mechanisms involved. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety: An Evolutionary Approach

2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses, with huge attendant suffering. Current treatments are not universally effective, suggesting that a deeper understanding of the causes of anxiety is needed. To understand anxiety disorders better, it is first necessary to understand the normal anxiety response. This entails considering its evolutionary function as well as the mechanisms underlying it. We argue that the function of the human anxiety response, and homologues in other species, is to prepare the individual to detect and deal with threats. We use a signal detection framework to show that the threshold for expressing the anxiety response ought to vary with the probability of threats occurring, and the individual's vulnerability to them if they do occur. These predictions are consistent with major patterns in the epidemiology of anxiety. Implications for research and treatment are discussed. Can J Psychiatry. 2011;56(12):707-715. Clinical Implications• Understanding the evolved function of the anxiety response can aid in understanding why people's propensity to become anxious varies with their life circumstances and developmental history.• Theory predicts that the threshold for mounting an anxiety response should depend on the probability of dangerous events occurring in the current environment, and the vulnerability of the person to those events should they occur. Numerous epidemiologic findings relating to anxiety disorders can be integrated within this framework. Limitations• The evolutionary criteria for when a mechanism is functioning adaptively are different from the criteria for identifying when a psychiatric disorder is present.• Evolutionary thinking has not yet been used to develop new treatment strategies for anxiety disorders, although it may aid in understanding why existing ones are effective. Key Words: anxiety, anxiety disorders, emotions, signal detection theory, behavioural ecology, evolutionary medicineIt is not informative to study variations of behaviour unless we know beforehand the norm from which the variants depart. 1, p 109A nxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses, with huge attendant quality of life and financial costs. For example, during 12 months in [2001][2002]4.6% of Canadians had symptoms meeting DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder, 2 and, during the course of their lifetimes, around 28.8% of Americans are estimated to be affected. 3 Although treatments for anxiety exist, these currently have limited efficacy. For example, for GAD, antidepressants, though more effective than placebo, have a number needed to treat of 5.54, meaning nearly 6 patients need to be treated with the drugs to produce 1 more clinically significant symptomatic improvement than placebo.4 Only around 46% of GAD patients show a clinically significant response to psychological therapy. 5 The pervasiveness of anxiety disorders and their resistance to treatment suggest a need for a deeper understanding of the sources of anxiety. We argue that to make some pro...

show abstract

“…the dorsolateral, ventrolateral, ventromedial anterior prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex systems) -seeLewis, 2005). 7 Animals are geared towards foraging for immediate or future consumption of food and accumulate crucial resources depending on the level of threats from nearby predators -seeHinds et al (2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting financial predators ahead of time: a two-group longitudinal study

Mesly

2013

Applied Financial Economics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The psychology of potential threat: Properties of the security motivation system

Cited by 45 publications

References 40 publications

From an animal model to human patients: An example of a translational study on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

From an animal model to human patients: An example of a translational study on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Anxiety: An Evolutionary Approach

Detecting financial predators ahead of time: a two-group longitudinal study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About