Deck 1: Examples and Definitions of Abnormal Behavior

Question 1

Sam displays symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia; she feels ill after eating her lunch two days in a row.One of her symptoms is a paranoid belief that her coworkers are poisoning her.This type of belief is associated with

A)conflicts with society.
B)a nervous breakdown.
C)a psychosis.
D)adaptive behavior.

Answer 1

a psychosis.

Question 2

A group of symptoms that appear together and are assumed to represent a specific type of disorder is referred to as a

A)syndrome.
B)sign.
C)psychosis.
D)disease.

Answer 2

syndrome.

Question 3

In what terms are mental disorders defined?

A)when a person is out of contact with reality
B)persistent maladaptive behaviors
C)inconsistent,socially unacceptable behaviors
D)unrealistic beliefs

Answer 3

persistent maladaptive behaviors

Question 4

While you and your friends are watching a movie,one of the characters says,"That's an example of insanity" in reference to another character.Because you are taking a course in abnormal psychology,everyone turns to you.What do you say about the term "insanity"?

A)"The key to identifying insanity is the presence of delusions."
B)"In order to be insane,a person must show evidence of some biological cause of the symptoms."
C)"Insanity is a general term that refers to the presence of severe signs of mental deterioration."
D)"Insanity is a legal term that refers to judgments about whether a person should be held responsible for criminal behavior."

Question 5

Which is the best description of abnormal psychology?

A)a deviant personality trait
B)analysis of the childhood roots of pathology
C)study of unconscious influences on mental disorders
D)application of psychological science to the study of mental disorders

Question 6

Specific laboratory tests to confirm the presence of psychopathology

A)do not at present exist.
B)are used by psychologists but not by psychiatrists.
C)are used by psychiatrists but not by psychologists.
D)are used to test for the presence of some viral infection or brain lesion to confirm a diagnosis.

Question 7

Why did the staff at the psychiatric hospital give Kevin Warner injections of antipsychotic medication?

A)People with Kevin's blood type do not respond to medication in pill form.
B)A high level of gastric juices in his digestive system destroyed the medication.
C)He only pretended to take the pills because he believed people were trying to poison him.
D)Antipsychotic drugs given by injection do not have the same serious side effects as those in pill form.

Question 8

In the United States and other developed countries,mental disorders are the ___leading cause of disease-related disability and mortality.

A)2nd
B)5th
C)10th
D)30th

Question 9

Which of the following is a rare form of psychopathology?

A)schizophrenia
B)panic disorder
C)major depression
D)gender identity disorder

Question 10

What is the literal meaning of the word "psychopathology"?

A)demons within
B)deviant behavior
C)brain dysfunction
D)pathology of the mind

Question 11

Nate is a clinical psychologist and is trying to determine if Jennifer has schizophrenia.In what way will he make this determination?

A)blood tests
B)studying the concentration of schizophrenia in Jennifer's geographic area
C)heredity
D)making observations of Jennifer's behavior and her descriptions of personal experience

Question 12

If a person with an abnormal behavior is unable to or unwilling to appreciate the extent of their problem or the impact it had on other people,what would psychologists say that person lacked?

A)ignorance
B)insight
C)logic
D)common sense

Question 13

The point of view of this textbook is that

A)very few people will ever come into contact with the problems that are associated with mental illness.
B)isolation between people with mental illness and people without mental illness benefits both groups.
C)it is likely that everyone will be touched by the problems associated with mental illness at some point in their life.
D)mental illness is almost a thing of the past due to modern treatments.

Question 14

A problem with defining abnormal behavior in terms of deviation from statistical norms is that this definition

A)focuses only on very rare conditions.
B)focuses only on conditions that are actually relatively common.
C)does not specify how unusual the behavior must be to be considered abnormal.
D)only considers deviations that are harmful.

Question 15

Determining the presence of disorder is based on several criteria,including

A)the duration of a person's symptoms.
B)the presence of a specific symptom in isolation.
C)the outcome of laboratory tests.
D)a person's culture.

Question 16

The symptoms and signs of mental illness are known as

A)the analysis of the mind.
B)the treatment of mental disorders.
C)psychopathology.
D)the ancient philosophy of the interaction of mind and body.

Question 17

A magazine reporter wants to write a story describing the occurrence of mental disorders in the United States.She needs a title that captures the findings of a national survey completed several years ago.Which of the following would be the best title?

A)"Rate of Mental Disorders Considered Low"
B)"Almost Everyone Diagnosed with a Mental Disorder at Some Point in Their Life"
C)"Rate of Mental Disorders Overestimated in the Past"
D)"At Least Two out of Every Four Americans Experience a Serious Form of Abnormal Behavior at Some Point in Their Life"

Question 18

The case of Kevin Warner was presented in the text as an example of the diagnosis of schizophrenia.Which of Kevin's symptoms strongly suggested that he had lost touch with reality,which is the defining feature of schizophrenia?

A)social withdrawal
B)difficulty in communicating
C)inability to succeed at work
D)belief that people were poisoning him

Question 19

According to the textbook,the line dividing normal from abnormal is

A)always clear.
B)often one of degree.
C)based on the exact form or content of behavior.
D)not a very important issue.

Question 20

According to Jerome Wakefield,one essential component of the definition of a mental disorder is

A)statistical rarity.
B)one distinguishing symptom.
C)an individual's subjective distress.
D)tissue damage revealed by medical tests.

Question 21

Olivia grew up in a society where mourners pull out their hair,go into an emotional frenzy,and speak in tongues.On a visit to the United States,she did these things in public when she heard that a relative had died.According to DSM-5,her behavior would be considered

A)psychopathological,because of her personal distress.
B)not psychopathological,because it is part of her culture.
C)psychopathological,because it disrupted her social functioning.
D)not psychopathological,because it caused no disruption in social functioning.

Question 22

Which publication contains the official criteria for diagnosing mental disorders?

A)Physicians' Desk Reference
B)Syndromes of Mental Disorders
C)Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
D)American Psychiatric Association Guidelines for Diagnosis

Question 23

Which organization publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,5th Edition (DSM-5)?

A)World Health Organization
B)American Psychiatric Association
C)American Psychological Association
D)National Institute of Mental Health

Question 24

In the term "harmful dysfunction," the word "dysfunction" refers to

A)a mental disorder.
B)a set of distinguishing symptoms.
C)a disruption of thought,feeling,or perception.
D)the inability of the person to function at work or school.

Question 25

What is one of the advantages of Jerome Wakefield's harmful dysfunction approach to defining mental disorders?

A)Cultural factors do not affect the definition.
B)The definition is based on established humanistic criteria.
C)The meaning of harmful is limited to life-threatening conditions.
D)As much as possible objective evaluation is used to define the dysfunction.

Question 26

Why were the actions of the Yippie Party not considered dysfunctional?

A)Their actions were an expectable response to cultural events.
B)The leaders of the party suffered from significant clinical distress.
C)Their actions were considered intentional political gestures.
D)Party members suffered psychological dysfunction.

Question 27

What problem in defining abnormal behavior is evident in the case of Kevin Warner described in the text?

A)Some statistically rare forms of behavior are desirable.
B)Some mental disorders have symptoms that are not harmful.
C)A behavior is not dysfunctional unless it is statistically unusual.
D)Some people do not perceive their abnormal behavior as personally stressful.

Question 28

Culture is defined in terms of the

A)level of education attained by most people in a specific group.
B)degree of emphasis a community places on art and literature.
C)values,beliefs,and practices shared by a specific group of people.
D)similarity of people within a group.

Question 29

Applying the concept of harmful dysfunction to the case of Kevin Warner,we can emphasize Kevin's failures of several mental mechanisms,including

A)perception.
B)motivation.
C)learning.
D)feeling.

Question 30

What principle guided developers of the DSM-5 as they wrote definitions of mental disorders?

A)Definitions should consider political factors.
B)Disorders should be associated with distress or disability.
C)Deviant behaviors that are encouraged by certain religions should be included.
D)Abnormal behaviors should have a biological basis to be considered mental disorders.

Question 31

On what does the DSM-5 place primary emphasis?

A)mechanisms that regulate emotion
B)the ability to distinguish between real or imagined auditory sensations
C)the consequences of certain behavioral syndromes
D)a person's social or occupational role

Question 32

What dysfunctions are considered to be disorders?

A)those resulting in significant harm to the person
B)those differing in any way from the ordinary function of a biological process
C)those eliciting abnormal behavior characteristics.
D)those leading to the inability to occasionally misconstrue reality.

Question 33

Conditions like albinism or fused toes are physical dysfunctions but would not be regarded as mental disorders because they

A)are physical.
B)do not cause any harm.
C)are rare.
D)are not easily diagnosed.

Question 34

A woman who is unable to achieve orgasm and who lives in a society that discourages female sexuality would probably not be given the DSM diagnosis of female orgasmic disorder because she

A)probably would not experience any distress or impairment.
B)would be distressed but not impaired.
C)would be impaired but not distressed.
D)would probably be both distressed and impaired.

Question 35

What was one of the factors that seems to have played a role in Mary's development of an eating disorder? (This is from one of the case studies.)

A)sexual abuse throughout childhood
B)being prone to sleepwalking episodes
C)a genetic predisposition to high levels of anxiety
D)being determined that she would never gain as much weight as her mother had

Question 36

How often is the official diagnostic manual for mental disorders revised by the American Psychiatric Association?

A)every year
B)every other year
C)every 5 to 10 years
D)every 15 to 20 years

Question 37

Beliefs and actions that are shared by religious,political,or sexual minority groups are not considered evidence of a mental disorder because such behaviors

A)are voluntary.
B)are rare and unusual.
C)can cause harm.
D)deviate from society's standards of proper behavior.

Question 38

What is the history of the "diagnosis" homosexuality in the DSM?

A)Homosexuality was never a diagnosis in the DSM.
B)Homosexuality was,and is,a possible diagnosis in the DSM.
C)Homosexuality was a diagnosis in the first two editions of the DSM,taken out for the third edition,and then reintroduced in the 4th.
D)Homosexuality was a diagnosis in the first two editions of the DSM,taken out for the third edition,and has never been reintroduced.

Question 39

What is the emphasis of the definition of abnormal behavior in the DSM?5?

A)statistical rarity
B)biological etiology
C)biological disadvantage in terms of reproduction
D)personal distress or impairment in social functioning

Question 40

The DSM definition of mental disorder excludes which of the following?

A)behaviors caused by personal distress
B)beliefs and actions shared by a religious group
C)impairment in social functioning
D)behavior of which the individual is unaware

Question 41

An epidemiologist studies rates of depression in a community over a one-year period.Her calculation of incidence will be based on the

A)average time between diagnosis and cure.
B)proportion of people who had ever been depressed.
C)number of new cases that developed during that year.
D)total number of active cases on the day of calculation.

Question 42

Compared to Kevin Warner,Mary Childress was much more acutely aware of her disorder; this tells us that

A)Mary has a disorder and Kevin doesn't.
B)Kevin has a disorder and Mary doesn't.
C)Mary probably experiences more distress than Kevin.
D)Mary is probably more impaired than Kevin.

Question 43

What is one of the signs of the possible presence of bingeing and purging that was noticed in the case of Mary?

A)loss of hearing
B)teeth/gum problems
C)frequent bone fractures
D)fluctuating dopamine levels

Question 44

Which disorder is more common in men than women?

A)depression
B)schizophrenia
C)bipolar disorder
D)alcohol abuse/dependence

Question 45

Epidemiology is the scientific study of the

A)effects of diets.
B)biological treatment of diseases.
C)frequency and distribution of disorders.
D)classification systems for mental disorders.

Question 46

What vital organs are affected by eating disorders?

A)the spleen and appendix
B)the gall bladder and lungs
C)the heart and kidneys
D)the large intestine and heart

Question 47

Which of these is an example of something an epidemiologist would do?

A)encourage people with the flu to avoid alcohol
B)study rates of alcoholism in urban versus rural areas
C)investigate the effects of clothing preference on social communication
D)study chromosomes to find abnormal genes associated with various diseases

Question 48

The only medical condition with a higher incidence than mental disorders is

A)closed head injury.
B)alcohol addiction.
C)cancer.
D)cardiovascular disease.

Question 49

In addition to incidence,what other term is particularly important in epidemiological research?

A)statistical validity
B)correlation
C)prevalence
D)N

Question 50

Which is the most accurate statement about the lifetime prevalence rates for bipolar disorder in the United States?

A)More men than women will be diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
B)More women than men will be diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
C)Almost twice as many women will receive this diagnosis.
D)The rates for this disorder are the same for men and women.

Question 51

What are common digestive problems associated with eating problems similar to Mary's?

A)ulcers and reflux
B)throat infections and stomach pains
C)constipation and Crohn's disease
D)gallstones and lactose intolerance

Question 52

If a disorder is short-term and typically has a high rate of recovery,then lifetime prevalence rates for that disorder will be ____________ one-year prevalence rates.

A)somewhat lower than
B)much higher than
C)equal to
D)much lower than

Question 53

According to the textbook,some disorders,such as __________,are found in virtually every culture social scientists have studied.

A)sleep apnea
B)alcoholism
C)schizophrenia
D)bulimia

Question 54

Based on the results of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)Study,which disorder has the highest lifetime prevalence in the United States?

A)schizophrenia
B)major depression
C)bipolar mood disorder
D)obsessive-compulsive disorder

Question 55

Why are Mary Childress and Kevin Warner's behaviors considered abnormal?

A)because they found it impossible to see reality
B)because they were both acutely aware of their disorders
C)because their disorders affected their physical health
D)because both of their behaviors fits the criteria for one of the DSM-5 categories and they each suffered from a dysfunction

Question 56

Which disorder is about equally common in men and women in the United States?

A)depression
B)bipolar mood disorder
C)alcohol abuse/dependence
D)antisocial personality disorder

Question 57

Which of the following disorders is more common in women than men?

A)schizophrenia
B)anxiety disorders
C)bipolar disorder
D)alcoholism

Question 58

The presence of more than one condition within the same time period is known as

A)twin diagnosis.
B)double diagnosis.
C)comorbidity.
D)confounded morbidity.

Question 59

In a nearby town,two people had anxiety disorders in the past but not now.Three people developed anxiety disorders four or five years ago,and continue to have an anxiety disorder now.Six people developed anxiety disorders this year and continue to be so diagnosed.Which of the following might an epidemiologist write in her report concerning the rate of mental disorders in this community?

A)incidence (this year)= 5; lifetime prevalence = 6
B)incidence (this year)= 6; lifetime prevalence = 11
C)lifetime prevalence = 5; lifetime prevalence = 3
D)lifetime prevalence = 5; incidence (this year)= 11

Question 60

What was the focus of the underlying dysfunction in the case of Mary's bingeing-purging-eating disorder?

A)loss of neurons
B)mechanisms that regulate appetite
C)failure to process dream memories
D)poor motor skills resulting from lack of oxygen at birth

Question 61

Specialized mental health professionals treat _____ percent of those who seek help for mental disorders.

A)10
B)20
C)40
D)60

Question 62

How has research on comorbidity changed the focus of epidemiological research?

A)shifted the focus from the psychotic disorders to milder disorders that affect more people
B)higher than expected prevalence of mental retardation led to more emphasis on intellectual ability
C)shifted the focus from counting the number of people with a disorder to measuring the functional impairment associated with the problems
D)evidence for the biological etiology of more mental disorders has switched the focus to identifying the genes responsible for particular disorders

Question 63

Which category of disorders seems less affected by culture?

A)anxiety
B)neurotic
C)psychotic
D)personality

Question 64

Which individual is most likely to suffer bulimia nervosa?

A)Amy,a 19-year-old college student
B)Michael,a 30-year-old auto mechanic
C)Joe,a 45-year-old air traffic controller
D)Isabel,a 10-year-old grade-school student

Question 65

The World Health Organization estimates that all mental disorders combined account for _____ percent of all disability worldwide.

A)less than 1
B)11
C)28
D)52

Question 66

Epidemiological evidence suggests that which of the following factors is an important ingredient in establishing risk for developing an eating disorder?

A)comorbidity
B)genetics
C)holding particular sets of values related to women's appearance
D)early family relations

Question 67

Which of the following is the correct listing of the disease burden associated with the top three illness categories?

A)cardiovascular conditions,all drug use,all mental disorders
B)cardiovascular conditions,all mental disorders,all malignant diseases (cancer)
C)all drug use,all infectious and parasitic diseases,all respiratory diseases
D)all mental disorders,all respiratory conditions,all cardiovascular conditions

Question 68

An epidemiologist is about to testify to Congress on the findings of comorbidity.Which of the following points will she want to make after reviewing research on comorbidity?

A)Most mental disorders have a biological basis.
B)Those with severe impairment often have more than one disorder.
C)We have underestimated the role of toxins as the cause of disorders.
D)The majority of mental disorders tend to "run in families" as a result of genetic anomalies.

Question 69

Which of the following is the most accurate situation in the United States?

A)The incidence of bulimia is higher among university women and it is more common in older women.
B)The incidence of bulimia is higher among university women and it is more common in younger women.
C)The incidence of bulimia is higher in working women and it is more common in younger women.

Question 70

Investigators in the World Health Organization (WHO)predict that,relative to other types of health problems,the burden of mental health disorders will _________________ by 2020.

A)increase
B)decrease
C)stay about the same
D)increase in developing countries and decrease in developed countries

Question 71

What has research on disease burden found concerning the relative impact of medical illnesses and mental disorders?

A)Medical illnesses and mental disorders are associated with equal levels of disease burden.
B)Although quite prevalent,mental disorders account for insignificant levels of disease burden.
C)Mental disorders are responsible for more disease burden than all of the medical illnesses combined.
D)Although mental disorders account for a small number of deaths,they are a significant cause of disease burden.

Question 72

Which of the following is most true regarding bulimia?

A)The prevalence is higher in Western nations than other parts of the world,and the number of cases increased during the latter part of the twentieth century.
B)The prevalence is lower in Western nations than other parts of the world,and the number of cases increased during the latter part of the twentieth century.
C)The prevalence is higher in Western nations than other parts of the world,and the number of cases decreased during the latter part of the twentieth century.
D)The prevalence is higher in developing nations than other parts of the world,and the number of cases increased during the latter part of the twentieth century.

Question 73

An epidemiologist conducts a comparison of the incidence of bulimia nervosa in various groups.The data can be categorized in many ways.After analyzing the data,what is the epidemiologist likely to say her findings reveal?

A)The incidence is declining among all groups.
B)The rate is relatively even across socioeconomic and age groups.
C)The incidence is much higher among university women than among working women.
D)The incidence is high among older women who have recently entered the workforce.

Question 74

In order to compare the disability associated with different conditions,epidemiologists had to assume that the burden associated with certain mental disorders was equivalent to that associated with diseases and injuries.Which of the following is a correct association of a mental disorder with a medical condition?

A)mania: heart disease
B)panic disorder: cancer
C)depression: blindness
D)schizophrenia: diabetes

Question 75

Comorbidity exists when

A)two people have the same disorder.
B)one person has first one disorder,then later develops another.
C)one person has more than one condition within the same period of time.
D)a health professional cannot distinguish between two different conditions.

Question 76

What two factors are combined to measure disease burden?

A)mortality and disability
B)infection rates and poverty levels
C)physician visits and pollution levels
D)daily caloric intake and hospitalization rates

Question 77

Which of the following can be concluded from cross-cultural studies?

A)All mental disorders are shaped,to some extent,by cultural factors.
B)Several mental disorders are due entirely to cultural or social factors.
C)Psychotic disorders are more influenced by culture than other disorders.
D)The symptoms of certain disorders are just as likely to vary across cultures as are the disorders themselves.

Question 78

People who seek help for mental disorders are most likely to receive help from which of the following?

A)primary care physicians
B)social workers
C)psychiatrists
D)psychologists

Question 79

The largest group of clinically trained professionals providing mental health services in the United States are

A)psychiatrists.
B)clinical psychologists.
C)social workers.
D)psychiatric nurses.

Question 80

In research on disease burden,the disability associated with schizophrenia is considered to be comparable to that associated with

A)diabetes.
B)hypertension.
C)quadriplegia.
D)Alzheimer's disease.