LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• What are the symptoms of anxiety disorders? How are they treated?
• What are the characteristics of people with psychotic disorders?
• What are the major issues involved with substance abuse?
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aisy forces herself to do her daily routine. She is shaky all the time because she just doesn’t feel safe. Her neighborhood is deteriorating, and she is afraid of what the teenagers will do to her. She imagines all sorts of horrible things that they could do to her. Her worst fear is that no one would know. Her heart races when she thinks about it. She rarely goes out now, and she has convinced her son to bring her groceries and other supplies.
Daisy’s feelings indicate that people have difficulties for many reasons. She is clearly afraid, which could reflect a realistic assessment of her neighborhood. But her feelings also make her heart
race, which is unusual. In this section, we examine three disorders that are receiving increased attention: anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and substance abuse.