Deck 13: Psychological Disorders

Question 1

Kendra is a 10-year-old musical prodigy. If she hears a piece of music once, she can play it perfectly on the piano from memory. Kendra's abilities would be accurately described using which of the following terms?

A) abnormal
B) unusual
C) maladaptive
D) stigmatized

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Allison has an intense fear of flying, so much so that she cannot even bear to close her eyes and imagine that she is on a plane. From this brief description, Allison may be experiencing:

A) a specific phobia.
B) a social phobia.
C) a generalized phobia.
D) normal levels of anxiety.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is not a characteristic of personality disorders?

A) Traits that are inflexible and maladaptive
B) Significant functional impairment or subjective distress
C) Marked deviation from cultural expectations
D) Typically diagnosed with medical tests

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Depression is associated with lower activity in the frontal lobe, which may result in:

A) lack of appetite.
B) difficulty concentrating and thinking.
C) periods of elevated mood and energy.
D) constipation.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true about the average brain of individuals with schizophrenia when they are compared to the brains of persons who do not have the disorder?

A) There are no known anatomical differences.
B) The overall size of the brain is actually larger than normal in people with schizophrenia.
C) Dopamine activity is lower than normal in people with schizophrenia.
D) The fluid-filled spaces at the core of the brain are larger in people with schizophrenia.

Question 6

One sign of abnormality is when a person engages in behavior that creates a great deal of

A) distress.
B) attention.
C) distraction.
D) disapproval.

Question 7

Psychologists and psychiatrists use the criteria laid out in the most recent edition of the _____ to diagnose psychological disorders.

A) Dimensional and Categorical Atlas of Mental Health
B) International Diagnostic Guidelines
C) Guide to Psychopathology and Abnormal Behavior
D) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders

Question 8

If a therapist thinks about psychological disorders in the same general way a physician thinks about diseases, the therapist is primarily applying the ______________ model to understand mental illness.

A) diagnostic
B) biopsychosocial
C) maladaptive
D) medical

Question 9

Huynh washes his hands 100 or more times each day. The constant washing causes the skin on his hands to dry and crack, yet he continues to engage in this behavior. Huynh's behavior is an example of _____.

A) an obsession
B) agoraphobia
C) a compulsion
D) a negative symptom

Question 10

Which of the following disorders do many psychologists believe is not a valid diagnosis?

A) Dissociative identity disorder
B) Schizophrenia
C) Histrionic personality disorder
D) Post-traumatic stress disorder

Question 11

Which of the following is not a psychiatric criterion for mental illness?

A) Expression An expression of behavior that causes distress to self or others
B) The condition must be categorical.
C) Impairment An impairment of functioning
D) Increased The increased risk of lost freedom, pain, or death

Question 12

Suppose a friend described schizophrenia as having a "split personality." How would you respond?

A) "This is a common misconception caused by people confusing schizophrenia with dissociative identity disorder."
B) "only disorganized schizophrenia is characterized by a splitting of personalities."
C) "That point is controversial; psychologists cannot agree on whether schizophrenia involves a splitting of personality."
D) "That is an accurate description of schizophrenia."

Question 13

Which of the following is not classified as an anxiety disorder?

A) Panic attack
B) GAD
C) Bipolar disorder
D) Social phobia

Question 14

Jonah's therapist tells him that his depression is likely the result of several factors, including having a genetic predisposition to depression, a pessimistic personality, and a chaotic family life. This view of depression is an example of the _______________ model.

A) many-factor
B) biopsychosocial
C) maladaptive
D) medical

Question 15

The psychological study of mental illness is most accurately referred to as

A) abnormal psychology.
B) biopsychosocial psychology.
C) maladaptive psychology.
D) medical psychology

Question 16

There have been several famous cases of people with superior intellectual abilities as well as schizophrenia. Does this mean that schizophrenia is the cause or the result of genius?

A) No; in fact, the average IQ of people with schizophrenia may be slightly lower than average.
B) Yes; in fact, the average IQ of people with schizophrenia is approximately 15% higher than average.
C) Yes, because people who are that smart are likely to develop schizophrenia simply because they know too much.
D) No, because schizophrenia is associated with very low IQs.

Question 17

_____ are false beliefs about reality, whereas _____ are false perceptions of reality such as hearing internal voices.

A) Positive symptoms; negative symptoms
B) Negative symptoms; positive symptoms
C) Hallucinations; delusions
D) Delusions; hallucinations

Question 18

_____ involves intense extremes between positive and negative emotions, an unstable sense of self, impulsivity, and difficult social relationships.

A) Borderline personality disorder
B) Narcissistic personality disorder
C) Histrionic personality disorder
D) Antisocial personality disorder

Question 19

In addition to suffering from panic attacks, people with panic disorders often develop an intense fear of:

A) having a panic attack when they are alone.
B) public places.
C) germs.
D) leaving the stove on.

Question 20

Aaliyah's few friends complain that she is often melodramatic and emotionally immature. Aaliyah loves attention (especially from men) and is constantly flirting, often inappropriately. If Aaliyah was diagnosed with a psychological disorder, which of the following would be the most likely candidate?

A) Narcissistic personality disorder
B) Borderline personality disorder
C) Histrionic personality disorder
D) Antisocial personality disorder

Question 21

When a psychologist or psychiatrist is using the DSM-5 as a guide to evaluating a client, he or she would assess the client by doing all of the following except

A) comparing presentation of symptoms with a set of symptoms in the DSM-5.
B) distinguishing the presenting disorder from similar or related disorders with similar symptomology
C) considering the prognosis or how symptoms might change over time.
D) asking the client to self-diagnose after reading the DSM-5.

Question 22

Which of the following is an advantage of using the dimensional view of psychological disorders?

A) The dimensional view creates a clear distinction between normal and abnormal behavior.
B) The dimensional view reflects the variety and complexity of human behavior.
C) The dimensional view is easier for non-experts to use when diagnosing mental illness.
D) The dimensional view uses biological markers to diagnosis psychological disorders.

Question 23

When a typical experience becomes long-lasting or severe this is referred to the _______ nature of a psychological disorder.

A) formal classification
B) symptoms
C) dimensionality
D) treatment.

Question 24

The fifth edition of the DSM was expected to include

A) more information based on biological and genetic research.
B) seven new axes.
C) criteria for determining whether an individual is insane.
D) a more categorical approach to psychological disorders.

Question 25

In a famous study discussed in your textbook, eight normal individuals were committed to a psychiatric hospital after claiming that they were experiencing hallucinations. Which of the following happened next?

A) The hospital staff continued to view them as abnormal, despite the fact that they had no symptoms.
B) The hospital staff realized that they had been faking their original symptoms.
C) Being in the psychiatric hospital caused them to develop real psychological symptoms after several days.
D) They quickly quit the study because the conditions in the psychiatric hospital were so poor.

Question 26

Any pattern of behavior that causes people significant distress, increases the risk of injury or death, and/or harms their ability to function in daily life is called

A) maladaptive
B) humors
C) stress syndrome
D) adaptive behavior

Question 27

Dr. Nwoambi is an American psychologist who is currently evaluating a new client. Dr. Nwoambi would most likely refer to the _________ to assist her in diagnosing her client's psychological disorder.

A) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
B) Physician's Desk Reference
C) Textbook of Psychological Disorders
D) Manual of Psychological and Behavioral Disorders

Question 28

The DSM-5 is an improvement over the DSM-IV because the newer edition

A) contains the standards for diagnosing more than 3500 different mental disorders.
B) contains 12 specific axes of mental illnesses.
C) is meant to make diagnosis less complicated.
D) relies only on older scientific evidence.

Question 29

The idea that a person may be determined to be sane or insane is an issue that is most relevant to

A) all mental health professionals.
B) the legal system.
C) medicine and psychiatry.
D) clinical psychology.

Question 30

The DSM-IV treats most symptoms in an either/or fashion: either an individual has a particular symptom or not. This is consistent with the ____________________ of psychological disorders.

A) biopsychosocial model
B) medical model
C) categorical view
D) dimensional view

Question 31

DSM stands for

A) Diagrammatic and Statistical Manual.
B) Deviance and Sadism Manual.
C) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
D) Developmental Sickness Model.

Question 32

Professionals have argued that the DSM-5 should identify more _____ markers of mental disorders.

A) objective
B) subjective
C) psychological
D) social and cultural

Question 33

Melissa was recently diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder. When her coworkers find out, they stop inviting her to get drinks after work, and her boss promotes several less qualified employees ahead of her. The most likely cause of Melissa's treatment is

A) the M'Naghten effect.
B) the stigma associated with mental illness.
C) her coworkers confusing "unusual" behavior for "abnormal" behavior.
D) her coworkers confusing bipolar and unipolar disorder.

Question 34

Stigmatization is often an unintended result of

A) outpatient treatment for psychological disorders.
B) using the dimensional view instead of the categorical view to diagnosis mental illness.
C) applying the medical model.
D) labeling individuals as suffering from a psychological disorder.

Question 35

Research indicates that one way to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness is to

A) remove individuals with mental illness from the general population.
B) increase knowledge of biopsychosocial explanations of mental illness.
C) reduce unnecessary concern by limiting the public's exposure to topics related to mental illness.
D) require people diagnosed with mental illness to notify their employers.

Question 36

Which of the following best describes the argument for the use of labels when applied to psychological disorders?

A) There are no recognized negative side effects associated with the use of labels for psychological disorders.
B) Labels provide an alternative to the DSM system for diagnosing mental illness.
C) Using labels reduces the stigma associated with mental illness.
D) Labels are often necessary for identifying and treating specific psychological disorders.

Question 37

According to the _______________, a person either has a psychological disorder or they do not. In contrast, the _______________ treats the normal-abnormal distinction as a matter of degree.

A) biopsychosocial model; medical model
B) medical model; biopsychosocial model
C) categorical view; dimensional view
D) dimensional view; categorical view

Question 38

The primary purpose of the DSM-5 is to

A) help psychologists assess only normal behavior.
B) keep the number of diagnostic categories of mental disorders to a minimum.
C) help psychological professionals diagnose psychological disorders.
D) describe the causes of common physiological disorders.

Question 39

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding the intersection of the mental health and legal industries?

A) The insanity defense is raised in less than 1% of all criminal trials, and is only successful about 20% of the time.
B) "Insanity" is a psychological/psychiatric term.
C) The serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was famously found not guilty by reason of insanity.
D) The precedent for the insanity defense is a trial that occurred in the 1970s.

Question 40

Ebony Wilkerson received a ____________ because she was able to plead and have a psychiatrist attest that she was legally insane.

A) lesser charges
B) harsher sentencing
C) lighter sentence
D) time served sentence

Question 41

A psychiatric patient repeatedly breaks the law, behaves impulsively, and generally demonstrates a disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others. It is most likely that this patient will be diagnosed with:

A) borderline personality disorder.
B) antisocial personality disorder.
C) bipolar disorder.
D) schizophrenia.

Question 42

Some psychologists believe that ______________?????????? disorder may stem from profound invalidation during childhood. Therefore they never master the ability identify and control emotions and react more strongly to everyday life stressors.

A) anti-social personality disorder
B) conduct disorder
C) histrionic personality
D) borderline personality disorder

Question 43

The tendency to think in "all-or-none" terms is characteristic of

A) antisocial personality disorder.
B) borderline personality disorder.
C) paranoid schizophrenia.
D) a dissociative fugue.

Question 44

When people diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (APD) are exposed to stressful stimuli, such as loud noises or the sudden appearance of an angry face, they react _________________ people without APD.

A) more than
B) less than
C) about the same as
D) faster than

Question 45

Which cluster of personality disorders contains paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders?

A) the anxious and fearful cluster
B) the odd and eccentric cluster
C) the dramatic and emotional cluster
D) the erratic and somatoform cluster

Question 46

Antisocial, paranoid, and schizoid are all types of ________ disorders.

A) mood
B) dissociative
C) personality
D) anxiety

Question 47

Cindy craves the attention of everyone around her. The few friends that she has admit that Cindy is "full of herself," and acts like she is better than everyone else. When Cindy had sex with her best friend's boyfriend, she felt no remorse. Which personality disorder would Cindy be most likely to be diagnosed with?

A) borderline
B) avoidant
C) narcissistic
D) dependent

Question 48

People with antisocial personality disorder do not respond physiologically in the same manner that other people do. For example, when compared to control participants, they

A) have no parasympathetic activation.
B) are hyper-responsive to loud sounds and bright lights.
C) show abnormalities in right-hemisphere activation.
D) are slow to have an autonomic response to disturbing pictures.

Question 49

People with which personality disorder are most likely to be arrested for violent or destructive crimes?

A) antisocial
B) borderline
C) histrionic
D) schizoid

Question 50

Marty is moody, often switching from one extreme emotion to its opposite. He wants to have close relationships but is unable to do so because he is untrusting of others. Marty is most likely suffering from ______ personality disorder.

A) antisocial
B) avoidant
C) dependent
D) borderline

Question 51

Which of the following is a sociocultural factor that might contribute to the development of antisocial personality disorder?

A) having a genetic predisposition
B) growing up in a violent neighborhood
C) unique activity in the limbic system
D) having ADHD

Question 52

People with antisocial personality disorder do not respond physiologically in the same manner that other people do. For example, when compared to control participants, they

A) are hyper-responsive to loud sounds and bright lights.
B) have more parasympathetic activation.
C) are over-reactive to stress.
D) show very weak startle responses-such as blinking-when exposed to unpleasant stimuli.

Question 53

Which personality disorder is characterized by excessive attention seeking and dramatic behavior, including being overly flirtatious?

A) histrionic
B) borderline
C) narcissistic
D) dependent

Question 54

When many illnesses seem to occur at the same time; that is, a specific set of symptoms could qualify an individual for more than one diagnosis. This phenomenon is called

A) co-incidence.
B) dual diagnosis.
C) prevalence.
D) comorbidity.

Question 55

People with _________ disorders have an excessively rigid, maladaptive pattern of behavior and ways of relating to others.

A) personality
B) mood
C) affective
D) schizophrenic

Question 56

The concept of internalized stigma occurs when

A) individuals come to view themselves more negatively because of their experience with mental health.
B) individuals engage in obsessive treatment seeking for disorders they do not have.
C) individuals view themselves more positively because they are engaged in humanistic therapy.
D) individuals who seek psychoanalysis, but lack a superego.

Question 57

A person who has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder is most likely to exhibit

A) a charming, self-centered, and manipulative interpersonal style.
B) impulsivity and unpredictability in his or her interactions with others.
C) intense discomfort in most social situations and odd thinking and behavior patterns.
D) a strong need to be the center of attention in all social situations.

Question 58

John has made a career of stealing older people's retirement money by taking advantage of their trust and selling them phony retirement investments. John explains that he has done nothing wrong-if these people were not so greedy, they would not be so eager to invest in his phony schemes. In his mind, his victims got exactly what they deserved. John's behavior and attitude are typical of someone with ________ personality disorder.

A) schizoid
B) schizotypal
C) histrionic
D) antisocial

Question 59

What general category of psychological disorders is characterized by a disruption in one's complete and unified sense of conscious awareness, memory, and identity?

A) anxiety disorders
B) dissociative disorders
C) personality disorders
D) schizophrenia

Question 60

Self-injury, such as the intentional cutting of one's self, is most closely associated with which personality disorder?

A) antisocial
B) avoidant
C) dependent
D) borderline

Question 61

Leo worries all of the time. He worries about his money, his children, and his dog. He cannot identify the specific source of his worry, but rather feels an overall sense of constant concern. Leo's symptoms sound most like

A) panic disorder
B) obsessive-compulsive disorder
C) generalized anxiety disorder
D) a dissociative disorder

Question 62

Darcy is sitting at her desk in her office one day when, without warning, her heart begins racing rapidly, she starts sweating profusely, and she is gripped with a terrifying fear that she is about to go crazy. Nothing she is doing seems to have caused such an episode. Her symptoms most resemble

A) a phobic disorder.
B) a panic attack.
C) post-traumatic stress.
D) a compulsion

Question 63

Shelby is concerned that she is spending too much of her day worrying about things that are out of her control. She often feels tense, even in situations where there is nothing that is directly threatening her safety. If you were a clinical psychologist, you would be trying to determine if Shelby meets the criteria for

A) agoraphobia.
B) generalized anxiety disorder.
C) major depression.
D) social phobia.

Question 64

While each panic attack is different, the symptoms of a panic attack often peak in less than

A) 3 minutes.
B) 10 minutes.
C) 30 minutes.
D) 45 minutes.

Question 65

People who suffer from panic attacks often also experience

A) obsessions.
B) paranoia.
C) agoraphobia.
D) compulsions.

Question 66

A disorder marked by the apparent appearance within one person of two or more personalities, each with its own name and distinctive traits, is called _____________ disorder.

A) dissociative identity
B) personality
C) bipolar
D) schizophrenia

Question 67

The presence of at least two distinct personalities is characteristic of

A) antisocial personality disorder.
B) dissociative amnesia.
C) dissociative identity disorder.
D) schizophrenia.

Question 68

The prevalence of diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder both in the US and Japan is one example of how _________ influences mental disorder diagnosis.

A) cultural beliefs.
B) DSM criteria.
C) the legal system.
D) biological findings

Question 69

Jarrod fears leaving his apartment during daylight hours even for a short walk to get his mail. His diagnosis would most likely belong in the category of __________ disorders.

A) mood
B) personality
C) anxiety
D) impulse-control

Question 70

Dikeshia is giving a presentation in her abnormal psychology class on the prevalence of psychological disorders. If you were a student in that class, what general category of disorders would you expect her to mention as one of the most frequently diagnosed psychological disorders?

A) anxiety disorders
B) dissociative disorders
C) personality disorders
D) schizophrenia

Question 71

Agoraphobia is an intense fear of

A) clowns.
B) having a panic attack in a public place.
C) developing a mental illness.
D) being responsible for the death of another.

Question 72

One study attempting to detect dissociative identity disorder, had patients view words and pictures and then recall the stimuli when they were either experiencing dissociation or not. Results suggested

A) some types of learning do not transfer between alter identities.
B) dissociated individuals are unable to engage in memory tasks.
C) dissociation episodes tend to wipe the memory of anything learned prior to the dissociation episode.
D) people recalled the same amount of stimuli regardless of their dissociation state at learning or recall.

Question 73

______________disorders are characterized by fear or nervousness that is excessive, irrational, and maladaptive.

A) Anxiety
B) Personality
C) Mood
D) Dissociative

Question 74

Skeptics of dissociative identity disorder (DID) argue that

A) DID should really be referred to as schizophrenia.
B) it should be easy to test objectively the validity of DID.
C) DID is likely caused by traumatic experiences.
D) some therapists actually provoke dissociative symptoms during therapy.

Question 75

Which of the following disorders is the most controversial diagnosis?

A) dissociative identity disorder
B) histrionic personality disorder
C) narcissistic personality disorder
D) schizophrenia

Question 76

Manny has such an intense fear of flying insects that he hardly ever goes outside his house during the summer months. He is probably suffering from a

A) panic disorder.
B) posttraumatic stress disorder.
C) personality disorder.
D) phobia.

Question 77

Which of the following is most likely to be cited by psychologists as a reason to be skeptical about dissociative identity disorder (DID)?

A) PET scan studies of people diagnosed with DID
B) a steep increase in DID rates from the 1970s to 1990s
C) evidence for memory dissociation in those diagnosed with DID
D) the association between DID and stressful events.

Question 78

One explanation for _____________ disorders is that the body's flight-or-fight response is overactive.

A) mood
B) anxiety
C) personality
D) schizophrenic

Question 79

After being passed up for a promotion and then getting into a heated argument with his son, a man disappears. He shows up two weeks later in another town with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He appears to be suffering from

A) schizophrenia.
B) a personality disorder.
C) a dissociative disorder.
D) a mood disorder.

Question 80

Anxiety is associated with physiological responses such as a racing heart and increased respiration. Which of the following is true about these physiological changes?

A) they are always a sign of mental illness
B) they are always maladaptive
C) they are an important part of the fight-or-flight response
D) they are always adaptive