The occurrence and persistence of anxiety disorders stem not only from fear of specific conditioned stimuli, but more so from a persistent, diffuse, unconditioned state of fear or anxiety that is not dependent on specific cues.
This unconditioned anxiety is characterized by the following:
"Free-floating" anxiety: Patients feel persistent tension and apprehension, yet there is no clear, specific object of fear.
Hypervigilance: A constant state of "fight-or-flight" alertness, with excessive sensitivity and overreaction to any minor, potentially neutral stimuli in the environment.
Originating from dysfunction of the stress system itself: According to the model, long-term or extreme stress directly causes lasting pathological changes in the brain's fear circuits, rendering them overly active and sensitive.
The system itself remains in a state of high activation, even in the absence of clear "danger signals."
