Abnormal Psych Study Guide

1. Which of the following is a symptom of major depressive disorder? Appetite and weight loss

1. Which of the following is one of the criteria for a personality disorder diagnosis? The person’s behavior problems must cause them distress or impairment

1. Several types of clusters of personality disorders have been distinguished in the literature. Which of the following is not one of those clusters? Obsessive-compulsive

1. Commonly observed family issues in eating disorders include which of the following? High parental control

1. All of the following are defined as somatic symptom disorders except: Body dysmorphic disorder

1. The experience of dissociation occurs in: certain psychological disorders as well as in non-disordered people at times

1. A pattern of long-standing distrust of others, hypersensitivity to slights, argumentativeness, frequently blaming others, and chronic tension is characteristic of: Paranoid personality disorder

1. Which of the following conditions usually takes the form of “pseudoneurologic” symptoms? Conversion disorder

1. Which are the main features that the DSM-5 focuses upon for somatic symptom disorder? Persistent thoughts about the seriousness of one’s symptoms, significant generalized anxiety with episodic panic-related symptoms, and excessive treatment-seeking

1. Melinda and Raquel both have problems with binging and purging. They both eat large evening meals and both then purge what they have eaten. Melinda engages in this three to four times a week, and Raquel does so once a week, on Sundays. What would be the diagnosis for each of these individuals? Melinda’s diagnosis would be bulimia nervosa; Raquel’s diagnosis would be bulimia nervosa

1. In dissociative amnesia, the individual most often has no memory of: any events prior to a trauma

1. Electra has been diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder. We can expect that she will experience: both hypomanic episodes and chronic depression

1. Personality disorders can be misdiagnosed more easily than other categories of disorder in part because: criteria are not sharply defined

1. Which of the following statements about anorexia is not true? People suffering from anorexia are satisfied with their extremely thin appearance.

1. Brittany came to a therapist complaining that she just doesn’t enjoy life lately. She says that for the past couple of months, she finds she just doesn’t feel like doing the things that she used to love to do. She has also lost a lot of weight and sleeps much more than usual but still feels tired all the time. She says she just can’t concentrate on anything. However, she denies feeling sad. Brittany’s most likely diagnosis is: major depressive disorder

1. What is the link between dieting and eating disorders? Dieting is a risk factor for both anorexia and bulimia

1. In factitious disorders, the individual: intentionally makes up symptoms in order to be treated as a patient

1. In order to meet the criteria for major depressive disorder, a person must have: a depressed mood most of the day for at least 2 weeks

1. What is the most serious challenge in treating eating disorders? Overcoming the individual’s ambivalence toward treatment

1. You are asked to assess a patient who strikes you as exceedingly charming and somewhat flirtatious. She almost immediately begins to describe her symptoms in a highly emotional way. You begin to consider a diagnosis of: histrionic personality disorder

1. Risk factors for suicide include: all of the above

1. Which of the following statements about Bipolar disorder is accurate? All of the above

1. The five factor model of personality is an example of: a dimensional model of personality

1. Aspects of dissociation include which of the following? all of the above

1. Which of the following statements about Bulimia is/are accurate? Bulimic individuals experience lack of control over their eating

1. Derealization is defined as: altered perception involving loss of the sense of reality of the external world

1. Individuals with schizoid and paranoid personality disorders differ significantly in their: level of emotionality

1. Sam shows little emotion and is a loner. He has no social relationships other than with his family, and he seems to experience little pleasure, if any. What personality disorder might Sam have? Schizoid

1. Oscar is terrified because he is convinced that he has a potentially fatal heart condition. He has consulted with several physicians about it who have found no evidence of any heart disease. Interestingly, Oscar continues to feel terrible even when the doctors find no physical problem. His diagnosis is probably: hypochondriasis

1. Catastrophizing about minor bodily sensations is characteristic of individuals with: hypochondriasis and somatization disorder

1. Jeremy suffers from dissociative amnesia. He probably: has trouble remembering information stored before a traumatic incident

1. Which of the following is not a typical symptom of acute mania? Melancholia

1. Which of the following is characteristic of the binge-eating/purging type of anorexia? The use of laxatives

1. The majority of individuals who attempt suicide are women and people between age 18 and 24 and the majority of those who complete suicide are men and people over age 65

1. Assuming a new identity in a new place is characteristic of dissociative fugue

1. How do we distinguish between the binge-eating/purging type of anorexia and bulimia, purging type? People with bulimia are likely to be at a normal weight, people with anorexia are underweight

1. In which of the following disorders must symptoms be present for at least 2 years in order for a diagnosis to be made? Dysthymia

1. Treating physicians must be precise with the differential diagnosis of anorexia and bulimia because: anorexia has a much higher death rate than bulimia

1. Which of the following is true of major depressive episode? It is the most prevalent

1. Binge-eating disorder: involves binges comparable to those in bulimia but without any inappropriate compensatory behavior to limit weight gain

1. What disorders are often comorbid with eating disorders? Depression and personality disorders

1. Allowing others to make major decisions and to take responsibility for significant areas in one’s life is a possible sign of: dependent personality disorder

1. A hypomanic episode is best described as: a mild manic episode

1. Which of the following is true about rapid cycling in bipolar disorders? It is seen in only a small percentage of those with bipolar disorder

1. What is the most important characteristic used to distinguish dysthymia from major depression? The length of time the person has had the symptoms

1. What do all the Cluster A disorders have in common? Oddness and eccentricity

1. Stephanie has repeated experiences where she feels she is floating above her physical body. These experiences come on suddenly and leave her feeling unreal. The DSM-5 diagnosis that best corresponds to her experience is depersonalization

1. Which of the following do those with anorexia and bulimia have in common? Fear of being or becoming fat

1. Octavia has been diagnosed with dissociate identity disorder (DID). She has seventeen different “alters,” which are striking different from her host personality. Some of her alters are not full personalities, but fragments and memories. Some of the alters are children. What aspect of this case is unusual? No aspect of this case is unusual

1. “Normal” feelings of depression become a mood disorder when: the degree of impairment is judged severe enough to warrant a diagnosis

...