Deck 7: Mood Disorders and Suicide

Question 1

The physical symptoms of a major depressive disorder include

A) changes in appetite or weight.
B) decreased ability to concentrate.
C) increased energy.
D) decreased self-esteem

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In comparing the length of untreated depressive episodes to untreated manic episodes, which of the following is an accurate statement?

A) Depressive episodes generally last longer.
B) Manic episodes generally last longer.
C) Both types of episodes typically last about the same amount of time.
D) This comparison cannot be made because depressive episodes are always treated.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Unipolar mania

A) does not exist.
B) is rare.
C) is fairly common.
D) is a part of bipolar disorder.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Katie has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Most recently, she has been lying immobile for long periods. If someone moves one of her arms to a different position, it just stays there. Katie has stopped speaking and does not appear to hear what is being said to her. What specifier would you apply to her diagnosis of major depressive disorder?

A) Chronic
B) With catatonic features
C) With atypical presentation
D) Melancholic

Question 5

Mood disorders can range from mild to severe; the most severe type of depression is called

A) major depressive disorder
B) dysthymia.
C) cyclothymia.
D) profound depression.

Question 6

A person who experiences a persistent depressed mood for at least 2 years but is not experiencing major depression may have

A) persistent depressive disorder.
B) cyclothymic disorder.
C) bipolar disorder.
D) double depression.

Question 7

When used in connection with mood disorders, "flight of ideas" means

A) anxiety about airplane travel.
B) rapid speech expressing many exciting ideas at once.
C) limited imagination reflected in a slow way of speaking.
D) repression of all creative ideas.

Question 8

A 35-year-old individual named Manny has recently formulated an elaborate plan to cure AIDS with vitamin therapy. To provide funding for this cause, he has withdrawn all the money from his bank account and purchased thousands of jars of vitamins and small boxes in which to put them. When he appeared at a hospital emergency room loudly demanding names of patients with AIDS, he himself was hospitalized for psychiatric observation. What is your diagnosis of Manny?

A) Major depressive episode
B) Hypomanic episode
C) Manic episode
D) Postpartum psychosis

Question 9

Debbie has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, recurrent. She wants to know what to expect in the future regarding her condition. You tell her that according to recent research the median lifetime number of major depressive episodes is .

A) 2-3
B) 4-7
C) 8-11
D) 12-15

Question 10

During a dysphoric manic episode, the patient experiences mania and .

A) schizophrenia
B) confusion
C) anxiety and depression
D) anger

Question 11

Jack has experienced recurrent episodes of major depressive episodes. In the intervals between the episodes, he does not seem to return to "normal." In fact, during those periods, he has been diagnosed as suffering from persistent depressive disorder. Jack's condition is referred to as .

A) double depression
B) bipolar disorder
C) atypical depression
D) dysfunctional dysthymia

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT TRUE about a hypomanic manic episode?

A) It is not necessarily problematic.
B) It does contribute to the definition of several mood disorders.
C) It causes marked impairment in social or occupational functioning.
D) It need only last 4 days.

Question 13

Persistent depressive disorder (formerly called dysthymia) differs from major depressive disorder because people diagnosed with dysthymia have symptoms of depression that are .

A) more severe
B) longer-lasting
C) episodic
D) temporary

Question 14

Milton has been mildly depressed for many years. Just recently, however, his depression deepened, and he was severely depressed for about three months. His deep depression then lifted and he was once again mildly depressed. Milton

A) will be easier to treat now that the severe depression is resolved.
B) will quickly respond to treatment and will recover completely from his depression.
C) will require a longer and more intense course of treatment to maintain a normal mood state.
D) will require treatment for the rest of his life.

Question 15

Which of the following is a symptom of a manic mood state?

A) Clear, coherent speech
B) Hypoactive behavior
C) Fatigue
D) Grandiose planning

Question 16

Most individuals who experience a single episode of major depressive disorder will

A) never have another episode.
B) most likely have just one more episode.
C) probably have several episodes throughout their lives.
D) later have a manic episode.

Question 17

Prior to the DSM-III, conditions that are currently characterized as mood disorders were referred to by several different names, including all of the following EXCEPT

A) depressive disorders.
B) affective disorders.
C) psychotic episodes.
D) depressive neuroses.

Question 18

One of the symptoms of a mood disorder is called anhedonia, which means

A) a feeling of worthlessness.
B) an altered pattern of sleep.
C) indecisiveness.
D) an inability to engage in pleasurable activities.

Question 19

Dysphoric mania refers to a type of mood disorder in which manic episodes are

A) extremely severe.
B) very mild.
C) accompanied by depression or anxiety.
D) related to a medical condition.

Question 20

The first episode of major depression is usually time-limited - often lasting up to - if left untreated.

A) 3 months
B) 6 months
C) 9 months
D) 1 year

Question 21

Symptoms of severe depression are generally NOT considered a psychological disorder when they are associated with _.

A) a grief reaction
B) a manic episode
C) anxiety
D) thoughts of suicide

Question 22

An effective treatment for SAD is

A) exposure to bright light shortly after awakening.
B) exposure to bright light in the evening.
C) exposure to a negative ion generator shortly after awakening.
D) exposure to a negative ion generator in the evening.

Question 23

How many patients with severe cases of depression where the episode lasts 5 years or longer can be expected to recover?

A) 4%
B) 22%
C) 38%
D) 56%

Question 24

The melancholic specifiers for depressive disorders include all of the following EXCEPT

A) weight loss.
B) loss of libido (sex drive).
C) sleeping late and hypersomnia.
D) anhedonia.

Question 25

According to recent research (Kessler et al., 2003), the percentage of people aged 18 to 29 that have already experienced major depression is .

A) 10%
B) 18%
C) 25%
D) 40%

Question 26

A person who eats and sleeps too much is experiencing a depressive episode with features.

A) atypical
B) melancholic
C) chronic
D) catatonic

Question 27

Tamara gave birth to a healthy child four days ago. Now she is tearful and having mood swings. Fortunately, these symptoms disappeared relatively quickly. Tamara was probably suffering from .

A) major depressive disorder with peripartum onset
B) baby blues
C) persistent depressive disorder
D) major depressive episode with seasonal onset

Question 28

In rare tragic cases, a mother suffering from major depression with peripartum onset sometimes

A) kills her child.
B) commits suicide.
C) murders other people's children.
D) injures the child's father.

Question 29

Although grieving is considered a normal process, it does sometimes become a psychological disorder. Which of the following cases would NOT be diagnosed as a pathological grief reaction?

A) Mr. A experienced a death in his family. In addition to symptoms of depression, he has been having auditory hallucinations in which he hears other deceased people talking to him.
B) Miss B. has experienced the death of a close friend. She is so depressed that she has no appetite, no energy, and is suicidal.
C) Mrs. C's dog recently died. Three weeks later, her friends suggest that she get another dog "to help her get over the loss." Mrs. C. refuses and says she just isn't ready to get another dog and besides, it would be impossible to replace her beloved "Toto."
D) Dr. D's wife died a few months ago. Recently, in addition to his depressive symptoms, he has been having paranoid delusions in which he believes that certain unnamed individuals are planning to remove his wife's body from the grave.

Question 30

Andy is currently completing a chemical formula that he knows will cure cancer. Shortly before, he had submitted a book to a publisher and was sure that it would become a bestseller. For several weeks prior to this, he was bedridden, morose, had no energy, and lacked any spontaneity. He never left his bed and had to be cared for by his family. Andy's diagnosis is .

A) major depressive disorder
B) persistent depressive disorder
C) bipolar I disorder
D) bipolar II disorder

Question 31

The probability that a person will recover from a major depressive episode within 1 year approaches 90% in _________________.

A) almost all cases
B) mild cases only
C) severe cases only
D) double depression only

Question 32

Although catatonic symptoms occur in major depressive disorders, they are more frequently associated with ______________.

A) phobias
B) somatoform disorders
C) dissociative identity disorder
D) schizophrenia

Question 33

Which of the following statements applies to the condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

A) Women with SAD reported more autonomous negative thoughts throughout the year than women without SAD.
B) People with SAD have symptoms of decreased sleep and decreased appetite.
C) Depression in vulnerable people might be triggered by decreased production of the hormone called melatonin.
D) SAD can be treated with phototherapy, i.e., 2 hours of exposure to bright light just before going to sleep.

Question 34

Bipolar II disorder consists of

A) depression with hypomanic episodes.
B) depression with anxiety.
C) depression with mania.
D) depression with dysthymia.

Question 35

The peripartum onset specifier is used to characterize a severe manic or depressive episode with psychotic features that occurs in a woman immediately before or after .

A) childbirth
B) a hysterectomy
C) a physical assault
D) menopause

Question 36

Jane is diagnosed with bipolar II disorder. You can expect that she will experience

A) full manic episodes.
B) hypomanic episodes.
C) both manic and hypomanic episodes.
D) neither manic nor hypomanic episodes.

Question 37

The most usual pattern of a temporal specifier in major depressive disorder occurs in the late fall and ends with the beginning of spring. This type of depression is known as .

A) melancholic
B) recurrent
C) postpartum
D) seasonal affective disorder

Question 38

A woman who is extremely depressed a year or so after the loss of her spouse might be diagnosed with ___________.

A) normal bereavement
B) dysthymia
C) major depression
D) complicated grief

Question 39

If a friend of yours stops sleeping and suddenly claims that he is going to go to law school and medical school simultaneously so he can change the world, you might suspect he is .

A) anxious
B) depressed
C) manic
D) anhedonic

Question 40

Morning light is thought to help with seasonal affective disorder because it

A) produces phase advances of the melatonin rhythm.
B) reverses melatonin release.
C) increases the amount of melatonin released.
D) eliminates melatonin release.

Question 41

When manic episodes alternate with depressive episodes, the disorder most correctly diagnosed would be

A) bipolar disorder.
B) major depressive disorder.
C) bipolar II disorder
D) cyclothymic disorder

Question 42

In research looking at the biological causes of mood disorders, studies have shown that if one of a set of twins has a mood disorder, the probability that the other twin will have a mood disorder is .

A) 29%
B) 42%
C) 66%
D) 81%

Question 43

According to your textbook, researchers have been studying the life histories of American poets to determine if there is a relationship between creativity and .

A) anxiety
B) bipolar disorder
C) dissociation
D) schizophrenia

Question 44

Being depressed the risk of death in elderly patients who have had a stroke or heart attack.

A) has no effect
B) doubles
C) triples
D) reduces

Question 45

In studies of bipolar patients who experience rapid cycling, it has been found that from 60% to 90% are _________.

A) female
B) male
C) elderly
D) adolescents

Question 46

When referring to the mood disorders called cyclothymia and persistent depressive disorder, it would be accurate to say that an individual with cyclothymia probably

A) would be considered "moody."
B) cannot function normally at all.
C) has more depressive episodes.
D) has full manic episodes.

Question 47

Cross-cultural research indicates that, due at least in part to appalling social and economic conditions, the prevalence of major depression is extremely high among .

A) African Americans
B) Hispanic Americans
C) Asian Americans
D) Native Americans

Question 48

All of the following are accurate statements about the prevalence of mood disorders in children and adolescents EXCEPT

A) Bipolar disorder in children is often misdiagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
B) Major depressive disorder in adolescents is largely a female disorder.
C) Rates of attempted suicide decrease during adolescence.
D) Adolescents with bipolar disorder may become aggressive, impulsive, sexually provocative and accident- prone.

Question 49

A child raised by depressed parents is likely to

A) struggle with depression as well.
B) learn how to avoid depression.
C) be inoculated against depression.
D) deny stress symptoms.

Question 50

At various times, Cynthia, a 20-year-old college student, has been considered by her family and/or friends to be moody, high-strung, explosive, or hyperactive. She never fails to take care of her responsibilities, but the fact that she seems to experience mood swings that are outside the norm has been noticed by those around her. Knowing the criteria for mood disorders, you would diagnose Cynthia with .

A) major depressive disorder
B) panic disorder
C) persistent depressive disorder
D) cyclothymic disorder

Question 51

The less severe but more chronic version of bipolar disorder is called disorder.

A) dysphoric
B) seasonal affective
C) bipolar III
D) cyclothymic

Question 52

Which of the following is TRUE of depression in the elderly?

A) Being depressed triples the risk of death in the elderly.
B) Suicide rates are the second highest of any age group due to depression.
C) The prevalence of depression is almost equal among elderly men and women.
D) All of the above

Question 53

Suicide associated with bipolar disorder almost always occurs during

A) a manic phase.
B) depressive episode.
C) a prodromal period.
D) a hypomanic phase.

Question 54

With regard to the prevalence of mood disorders, which of the following has been found consistently?

A) Females experience major depressive disorders less frequently than males.
B) Men have twice as many mood disorders as women.
C) Bipolar disorders occur equally across the sexes.
D) Dysthymia occurs equally across the sexes.

Question 55

A common characteristic of depression in boys is .

A) aggression
B) passiveness
C) shyness
D) coping behavior

Question 56

Approximately experience major depressive disorder over a lifetime and approximately in the last year

A) 11%; 4%
B) 16%; 6%
C) 21%; 8%
D) 25%; 10%

Question 57

Recent evidence indicates a higher level of in patients with bipolar disorder that was marked by a rapid cycling pattern compared to those with a non-rapid cycling pattern.

A) treatment response
B) resistance to treatment
C) medication side effects
D) suicide

Question 58

Depression rates in adolescents appear to be

A) increasing.
B) leveling off.
C) about the same as adults.
D) decreasing.

Question 59

The rapid-cycling specifier refers to an individual with bipolar disorder who experiences at least manic or depressive episodes in a year.

A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8

Question 60

In about patients, cyclothymic mood swings develop into full-blown bipolar disorder.

A) 25% to 33%
B) 33% to 50%
C) 50% to 66%
D) 10% to 20%

Question 61

A student who has been doing very well in her psychology class receives a minor critical comment on an essay that she wrote as part of an exam. The student thinks, "This is terrible. I'm probably going to fail the course." This type of cognitive error in thinking is called .

A) arbitrary inference
B) overgeneralization
C) splitting
D) dissociating

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the sleep of depressed patients?

A) They enter REM sleep quickly.
B) They experience intense REM episodes.
C) They show delayed slow wave sleep.
D) They show advanced slow wave sleep.

Question 63

One symptom of depression is an increase in sleeping. What other symptoms related to sleep occur in depression?

A) A reduction of slow-wave (deep) sleep.
B) Less intense REM activity
C) Stages of deepest sleep occurring earlier in the sleep cycle
D) Slower onset of REM sleep

Question 64

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Overwhelming evidence suggests mood disorders are familial and reflect an underlying genetic vulnerability.
B) Studies are now beginning to identify a small group of genes that may contribute to genetic vulnerability to some types of depression.
C) The genetic contribution to depression falls in the range of approximately 40% for females and 20% for males.
D) All of the above

Question 65

Recent research suggests that

A) the suppression of neurogenesis in the hippocampus is due to the connection between high stress hormones and depression.
B) low hippocampal volume may precede and contribute to the onset of depression
C) electroconvulsive therapy seems to produce neurogenesis in the hippocampus
D) All of the above

Question 66

In regard to most disorders, serotonin is thought to

A) function independently of other neurotransmitters.
B) regulate other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine and dopamine.
C) be unrelated to symptoms.
D) none of the above

Question 67

Stressful events are strongly related to the onset of .

A) depression
B) bipolar disorder
C) both
D) neither

Question 68

According to recent research on the development of depression, dysfunctional attitudes (a negative outlook) and hopelessness attributes (explaining things negatively) constitute a vulnerability to depression.

A) biological
B) cognitive
C) behavioral
D) sociological

Question 69

Negative cognitive styles are associated with a vulnerability to subsequent depression

A) in people in general.
B) in people who have already been depressed.
C) only in people who are currently depressed.
D) only in women.

Question 70

Recent research suggests that

A) social and psychological explanations seem to account for factors that contribute to both anxiety and depression.
B) for mania, the biological vulnerability may not be specific to that disorder.
C) the same genetic factors contribute to both anxiety and depression.
D) All of the above

Question 71

Current research into neurotransmitter systems has produced the "permissive" hypothesis, which states that

A) low levels of serotonin are sufficient to explain the etiology of mood disorders.
B) the norepinephrine system regulates serotonin levels; if norepinephrine is low, depression will occur.
C) when serotonin levels are low, other neurotransmitter systems become dysregulated and contribute to mood irregularities.
D) the absolute levels of neurotransmitters are more significant in mood regulation than the overall balance of the various neurotransmitters.

Question 72

A friend of yours tells you that he thinks he is mildly depressed, but he's not sure. Knowing that you are studying abnormal psychology, he asks if there is any kind of laboratory test that could determine whether or not someone is depressed. You respond correctly with one of the following statements:

A) Currently there is no way of diagnosing depression with a laboratory test.
B) The dexamethasone suppression test is a biological test for depression.
C) The dexamethasone suppression test can only be used to diagnose severe cases of depression.
D) Cortisol levels are decreased in depression; he could have his cortisol levels checked by a blood test.

Question 73

Regarding Beck's views on depression, which of the following definitions of cognitive errors and negative schema is NOT correct?

A) In a self-blame schema, depressed individuals feel personally responsible for every bad thing that happens.
B) Arbitrary inference means that a depressed individual emphasizes the positive rather than the negative aspects of a situation.
C) In a negative self-evaluation schema, depressed individuals believe that they can never do anything correctly.
D) Overgeneralization occurs when a small error is magnified to mean something much more significant.

Question 74

Depressive individuals tend to exhibit

A) greater right anterior brain activity.
B) greater left anterior brain activity.
C) more alpha wave activity.
D) less overall brain activity.

Question 75

Martin Seligman's theory that people become anxious and depressed because they believe that they have no control over the stress in their lives is called

A) the learned helplessness theory.
B) cognitive-behavioral theory.
C) humanistic/existential theory.
D) the control theory of depression.

Question 76

In 1989, Abramson and his colleagues revised Seligman's theory of learned helplessness, changing the focus from specific attributions to as the crucial factor in depression.

A) lack of control
B) a sense of hopelessness
C) repressed anger
D) a feeling of failure

Question 77

In Aaron Beck's depressive cognitive triad, individuals think negatively about all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A) themselves
B) their immediate world
C) their past
D) their future

Question 78

When individuals who are biologically vulnerable to depression place themselves in high-risk stressful environments, it is called

A) humoral theory.
B) the cognitive-behavioral model.
C) the gene-environment correlation model.
D) a stress-depression linkage effect.

Question 79

The best conclusion about the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) for the diagnosis of depression is that

A) it is accurate.
B) it is effective but cannot differentiate bipolar disorder from major depression.
C) it promises to be an effective diagnostic tool in the future.
D) it is not useful as a diagnostic tool.

Question 80

In regard to the relationship between stress and depression, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT

A) the context of the life event, as well as its meaning to the individual, is more important than the nature of the event itself.
B) an individual's current mood state might distort earlier memories of stressful life events that precipitated the depression.
C) stressful life events are strongly related to the onset of mood disorders.
D) recurrent episodes of depression, but not initial episodes, are strongly predicted by major life stress.