Effect of an anti-anxiety drug in a learned helplessness experiment.

Rats were injected with chlordiazepoxide 30 min before a situation of uncontrollable stress, or 30 min before an FR-3 escape test 24 h after the uncontrollable stress. Only in the latter situation they reduced their response latencies. The conclusion was that helplessness after moderate stress (i.e. electric shock) resembles a state of anxiety. Anxiety can be described on a behavioural level as inhibiting the ongoing behaviour. Therefore an explanation in terms of anxiety is in agreement with Weiss' inactivity hypothesis and with the results of the study by Drugan et al., who also emphasized the role of anxiety or fear in learned helplessness experiments.