Table 1.
Emotion dysregulation as a function of the pathways of anxiety discharge.
| Path of anxiety discharge | Symptoms/Signs | Level of emotional dysregulation | Therapeutic action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emotion without anxiety | NA | NA | No dysregulation | Express feeling |
| Emotion plus mild anxiety | Somatic nervous system | -Hand clenching-Tension in the intercostal muscles of the chest, the patient sighs | No dysregulation | Watch anxiety while encouraging the patient to express feeling |
| -Tension in arms, shoulders, neck, legs and feet | ||||
| -Jaw clenching, biting… | ||||
| Emotion plus dysregulating anxiety | Parasympathetic nervous system | -Bladder urgency and frequency-Gastrointestinal spasm | Moderate to severe dysregulation | Regulate anxiety and then explore feeling |
| -Irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, vomiting | ||||
| Vascular—migraine, hypertension | ||||
| Bronchi—asthma | ||||
| “Jelly legs” | ||||
| -Drifting | ||||
| -Dissociation | ||||
| -Confusion | ||||
| Emotion plus dysregulating anxiety | Cognitive- Perceptual system | -Hallucinations-Dissociation | Severe dysregulation | Regulate anxiety and then explore feeling |
| -Blocking of thought | ||||
| -Tunnel vision | ||||
| -Tinnitus | ||||