Deck 10: Disorders Featuring Somatic Symptoms

Question 1

George has difficulty falling asleep almost each night and once he finally does doze off, he awakens easily. George is suffering from:

A) insomnia
B) asthma
C) muscle contraction
D) migraine headaches

Answer 1

insomnia

Question 2

Which disorder is marked by a parent making up or producing physical illnesses in his or her own child?

A) Munchausen syndrome
B) Briquet's syndrome
C) multiple personality disorder
D) Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Answer 2

Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Question 3

Given the positive effects of relaxation on anxiety and the nervous system, clinicians believe that _____ can help prevent or treat medical illnesses that are related to stress.

A) behavioral medicine
B) relaxation training
C) biofeedback training
D) meditation

Answer 3

relaxation training

Question 4

_____ interferes with the proper functioning of the entire cardiovascular system, greatly increasing the likelihood of stroke, heart disease, and kidney problems.

A) hypertension
B) essential hypertension
C) coronary heart disease
D) muscle contraction headache

Question 5

In _____, people are connected to machinery that gives them continuous readings about their involuntary body activities.

A) behavioral medicine
B) relaxation training
C) biofeedback training
D) meditation

Question 6

Some _____ theorists propose that hysterical disorders are forms of communication, providing a means for people to express emotions that would otherwise be difficult to convey.

A) humanistic
B) psychodynamic
C) behavioral
D) cognitive

Question 7

Researchers have found that men with a repressive coping style tend to have a particularly sharp rise in blood pressure and heart rate when they are stressed. This may lead to the development of psychophysiological disorders in which the cause was primarily:

A) biological
B) psychological
C) sociocultural
D) multicultiral

Question 8

One criticism of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale is:

A) it does not take into consideration the life stress reactions of specific populations.
B) small sample size.
C) it was developed in the late 1960s.
D) men developed the scale.

Question 9

In the conversion symptom of _____, numbness begins at the wrist and extends evenly to the fingertips.

A) glove anesthesia
B) paraplegia
C) somatization pattern
D) Briquet's syndrome.

Question 10

Research has speculated that the main reason that African Americans are more likely to experience a psychophysiological disorder in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups may be:

A) economic conditions.
B) unemployment.
C) crime rates.
D) racial disparities.

Question 11

An increase in mass hysteria, in which large numbers of people share psychological or physical maladies that have no apparent cause, can be attributed to:

A) social media
B) faking illnesses
C) overreacting
D) groupthink

Question 12

Sarah gets extremely bad headaches just on one side of her head. When she gets them, she is dizzy and is nauseous and has even vomited. What is Sarah experiencing?

A) tension headaches
B) migraine headaches
C) chronic headaches
D) hypertension headaches

Question 13

An extreme and long-term form of factitious disorder is:

A) Von Willebrand's disease.
B) Munchausen syndrome.
C) Pseudologica fantastica.
D) Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Question 14

Today's leading explanations for conversion and somatic symptom disorders come from the:

A) psychodynamic, behavioral, and eclectic models.
B) psychodynamic and behavioral models.
C) behavioral and cognitive models.
D) psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and multicultural models.

Question 15

Juan has a weak respiratory system and has just been diagnosed with asthma. The primary factor related to his asthma is probably:

A) biological
B) psychological
C) sociocultural
D) multicultural

Question 16

Which individual is least likely to suffer from factitious disorder?

A) a man who works as a paramedic as his full-time profession
B) a woman who works as a nurse or a medical assistant
C) a man who has a subscription to the New England Journal of Medicine, even though he does not work in the medical field
D) a woman who received successful surgery for ovarian cancer

Question 17

_____ causes the body's airways to narrow periodically, making it hard for air to pass to and from the lungs.

A) insomnia
B) asthma
C) muscle contraction
D) migraine headaches

Question 18

Individuals with illness anxiety disorder typically receive the kinds of treatment that are applied to _____ disorder.

A) obsessive-compulsive
B) bipolar
C) major depressive
D) substance abuse

Question 19

Freud centered his explanation of hysterical disorders on the needs and conflicts experience by _____ in the _____ stage.

A) girls; genital
B) boys; phallic
C) girls; phallic
D) boys; anal

Question 20

Researchers who developed the Social Readjustment Rating Scale sampled mostly:

A) white Americans.
B) African Americans.
C) Hispanic Americans.
D) Asian Americans.

Question 21

Mark often has a burning sensation or pain in his stomach after eating. He often experiences occasional vomiting. He may be suffering from:

A) ulcers.
B) muscle contraction.
C) hypertension.
D) tension contractions.

Question 22

People in which group are MOST likely to experience a psychophysiological disorder?

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

Question 23

_____ identify antigens and then multiply and trigger the production of other kinds of immune cells.

A) Helper T-cells
B) Natural killer T-cells
C) B-cells
D) Antibodies

Question 24

_____ seek out and destroy body cells that have already been infected by viruses.

A) Helper T-cells
B) Natural killer T-cells
C) B-cells
D) Antibodies

Question 25

Jill often sleepwalks and has frequent night terrors. She would most likely be diagnosed with:

A) parasomnia disorder.
B) hypersomnolence disorder.
C) narcolepsy.
D) circadian rhythm disorder.

Question 26

Therapists who take a _____ approach to somatoform disorders try to force patients out of the sick role by straightforwardly telling them that their symptoms are without medical basis.

A) confrontational
B) reinforcement
C) challenging
D) rational-emotive

Question 27

Amy is impoverished. She is currently unemployed and lives in an overcrowded, high crime neighborhood. She has recently been diagnosed with hypertension. The cause of her hypertension is:

A) biological
B) psychological
C) sociocultural
D) physiological

Question 28

International studies have detected very high rates of somatization in non-Western medical practices throughout the world, with patients in _____ displaying the largest number of such symptoms.

A) Latin America
B) the Arctic
C) Japan
D) Italy

Question 29

People who suffer from _____ unrealistically interpret bodily symptoms as signs of a serious illness.

A) Munchausen syndrome
B) hysterical disorder
C) body dysmorphic disorder
D) hypochondriasis

Question 30

Behavioral theorists propose that the physical symptoms of hysterical disorders bring _____ to sufferers.

A) emotional relief
B) punishment
C) reinforcement
D) rewards

Question 31

Which disorder is considered by law enforcement to be a form of child abuse?

A) conversion disorder
B) Munchausen syndrome by proxy
C) illness anxiety disorder
D) factitious disorder

Question 32

_____ are lesions (holes) that form in the wall of the stomach or of the duodenum, resulting in burning sensations or pain in the stomach, occasional vomiting, and stomach bleeding.

A) Ulcers
B) Muscle contraction
C) Hypertension
D) Tension contractions

Question 33

Psychodynamic theorists believe that dissociative disorders are caused by the defense mechanism of:

A) denial.
B) repression.
C) ritual and undoing.
D) compensation.

Question 34

Behaviorists believe that the fears found in hypochondriasis have been acquired through:

A) overinterpretation of bodily cues.
B) unsatisfied sexual desires.
C) classical conditioning or modeling.
D) hypnotic suggestion.

Question 35

A person who intentionally produces or fakes physical symptoms simply out of a wish to be a patient might be diagnosed with a:

A) stress disorder.
B) psychotic disorder.
C) factitious disorder.
D) conversion disorder.

Question 36

According to the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, this is the most stressful event in a person's life.

A) retirement
B) pregnancy
C) divorce
D) death of a spouse

Question 37

_____ is not a hysterical somatoform disorder.

A) Conversion disorder
B) Somatization disorder
C) Hypochondriasis
D) Pain disorder associated with psychological factors

Question 38

People suffering from _____ are often very sleepy during the day and have difficulty functioning.

A) insomnia
B) asthma
C) muscle contraction
D) migraine headaches

Question 39

Jerry has a weak gastrointestinal system and has recently found out that he has ulcers. The primary factor related to his ulcers is probably:

A) biological
B) psychological
C) sociocultural
D) multicultural

Question 40

Psychodynamic theorists say that _____ and _____ are the two mechanisms at work in hysterical somatoform disorders.

A) ritual; undoing
B) projection; rejection
C) primary gain; secondary gain
D) primary grief; secondary grief

Question 41

Munchausen syndrome is a:

A) somatoform disorder.
B) factitious disorder.
C) psychophysical disorder.
D) conversion disorder.

Question 42

Conversion disorders most often appear in:

A) childhood.
B) adolescence.
C) middle adulthood.
D) late adulthood.

Question 43

Disorders that represent the conversion of conflicts and anxiety into physical symptoms would include:

A) phobia disorders.
B) dissociative disorders.
C) psychophysiological disorders.
D) conversion disorders.

Question 44

A woman complains of an assortment of physiological ailments. You think that she is intentionally producing the physical symptoms to appear sick, which fills some psychological need. You would diagnose:

A) factitious disorder.
B) conversion disorder.
C) generalized anxiety disorder.
D) psychophysical disorder.

Question 45

A person experiencing blindness, paralysis, or loss of feeling may also be said to be displaying:

A) malingering.
B) pain disorder.
C) selective symptomatology.
D) conversion disorder.

Question 46

If a person complains of a wide variety of physical symptoms over a period of time in the absence of a physical basis for the symptoms, the diagnosis would likely be:

A) conversion disorder.
B) somatic symptom disorder.
C) body dysmorphic disorder.
D) psychophysiological disorder.

Question 47

A man appeared at the emergency room complaining of bloody diarrhea. The doctor who examined him found that the man was intentionally creating the diarrhea through use of laxatives and anticoagulant medication and liked being a patient. The man is MOST likely:

A) experiencing a psychophysical disorder.
B) malingering.
C) experiencing a somatic disorder.
D) experiencing a factitious disorder.

Question 48

Which is an example of malingering?

A) intentionally faking a back problem to avoid military service
B) intentionally faking an illness because one likes being a patient
C) experiencing chest pains in response to intense stress
D) enjoying unnecessary medical tests

Question 49

Munchausen syndrome by proxy is MOST likely to adversely affect the physical well-being of:

A) the person experiencing it.
B) the child of the person experiencing it.
C) the spouse of the person experiencing it.
D) the medical personnel caring for the person experiencing it.

Question 50

Which would lead you to suspect someone has a conversion disorder rather than he or she is exhibiting medical symptoms?

A) muscle atrophy in the "paralyzed" body part
B) uniform and even numbness in the "damaged" hand
C) symptoms consistent with the way the neurological system is known to work
D) a great number of accidents and an inability, in a "blind" person, to get around

Question 51

If a chronically ill child was removed from his or her home and placed in foster care, and then became quite healthy, one might suspect that the parent (usually the mother) was experiencing:

A) malingering.
B) a psychophysical disorder.
C) a somatoform disorder.
D) a factitious disorder.

Question 52

Someone who has Munchausen syndrome also, by definition, has:

A) Munchausen by proxy.
B) a factitious disorder.
C) dissociative identity disorder.
D) body dysmorphic disorder.

Question 53

Just before debuting at Carnegie Hall, the pianist suffered paralysis of her left hand. Which BEST describes her disorder?

A) conversion disorder
B) somatization disorder
C) pain disorder associated with psychological factors
D) preoccupation disorder

Question 54

Which statement is true about factitious disorders?

A) Those with factitious disorder are not trying to achieve some external gain by faking illness.
B) Those with factitious disorder do not intentionally create illness.
C) Those with factitious disorder have no control over their behavior.
D) Those with factitious disorder do not want to assume the sick role.

Question 55

Which is likely to be useful in distinguishing conversion or somatic symptom disorders from true medical problems?

A) the particular body part showing the symptom
B) the failure of a condition to develop as expected
C) the patient's description of the source of the symptoms
D) the patient's experiencing the usual course of development for the physical symptoms characteristic of the condition

Question 56

Which describes an individual with Munchausen syndrome by proxy?

A) psychotic
B) independent
C) emotionally needy
D) limited intelligence and education

Question 57

Sarah brings her young daughter into the emergency room with internal bleeding. The attending physician later concludes that Sarah caused the symptoms in her daughter intentionally, because of a need to gain attention and praise for her devoted care of her sick child. If this assessment is correct, Sarah would be diagnosed as having:

A) a factitious disorder.
B) a conversion disorder.
C) Munchausen syndrome.
D) Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Question 58

Having a background in medicine, but also a grudge against the profession, puts a person at risk for:

A) a factitious disorder.
B) body dysmorphic disorder.
C) amnesia conversion disorder.
D) somatic symptom disorder.

Question 59

A 35-year-old woman hobbles into the office of a physician complaining of a debilitating illness that has robbed her of the use of her left leg and right arm. The physician finds no physical basis for her symptoms. She appears totally unaware that the cause of her symptoms may be psychological. The diagnosis would be:

A) malingering.
B) factitious disorder.
C) conversion disorder.
D) preoccupation disorder.

Question 60

Conversion disorders are more common in:

A) women than men.
B) men than women.
C) middle-aged people than young people.
D) elderly people than middle-aged people.

Question 61

A patient had several surgeries over the years for vague and nonspecific sexual reproductive problems, visiting many of the top hospitals on the East Coast during the course of treatment. The BEST diagnosis for this disorder is:

A) conversion disorder.
B) somatic symptom disorder.
C) pain disorder associated with psychological factors.
D) preoccupation disorder.

Question 62

A patient with a heart condition complains of adhesions from his postoperative scar, leg cramps, and joint stiffness. He seems to be hurting all over, but no medical reason can be found to explain the symptoms. The BEST diagnosis for this disorder is:

A) conversion disorder.
B) somatic symptom disorder (somatization pattern).
C) somatic symptom disorder (predominant pain pattern).
D) preoccupation disorder.

Question 63

Every time Miguel had a headache, his mother let him miss school. Now, as an adult, his headaches have become more frequent. His head pounds any time he is required to do something he would rather not do. This is a _____ explanation of conversion symptoms.

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

Question 64

The relationship between gender and somatic symptom disorder generally is that:

A) more men than women are diagnosed with both somatization pattern and predominant pain pattern forms of somatic symptom disorder.
B) more women than men are diagnosed with both somatization pattern and predominant pain pattern forms of somatic symptom disorder.
C) more men than women are diagnosed with somatization pattern, but more women than men are diagnosed with predominant pain pattern forms of somatic symptom disorder.
D) more women than men are diagnosed with somatization pattern, but more men than women are diagnosed with predominant pain pattern forms of somatic symptom disorder.

Question 65

An individual develops somatic symptom disorder after a near-fatal car crash. The diagnosis:

A) is unlikely to be either somatization pattern or predominant pain pattern.
B) is about equally likely to be somatization pattern or predominant pain pattern.
C) is more likely to be somatization pattern than predominant pain pattern.
D) is less likely to be somatization pattern than predominant pain pattern.

Question 66

It was convenient when Rowena awoke blind. She had been terrified about testifying in court and now she did not have to. This is an example of:

A) repression.
B) primary gain.
C) reinforcement.
D) secondary gain.

Question 67

A woman has experienced a wide range of vague but disturbing physical symptoms over a period of several years. Doctors cannot find a cause for the problems; medically, the woman appears normal. Based on this information, the BEST diagnosis would be:

A) somatic symptom disorder (somatization pattern).
B) somatic symptom disorder (predominant pain pattern).
C) conversion disorder (somatization pattern).
D) conversion disorder (predominant pain pattern).

Question 68

About what percentage of American men experience a somatic symptom disorder in a given year?

A) less than 1 percent
B) 1 to 2 percent
C) 3 to 4 percent
D) more than 5 percent

Question 69

Somatic symptom disorders differ from conversion disorders in that:

A) conversion disorders usually last less time.
B) conversion disorders usually begin later in life than somatic symptom disorders.
C) conversion disorders are more common than somatic symptom disorders in the United States.
D) conversion disorders are more common in men, while somatic symptom disorders are more common in women.

Question 70

According to the psychodynamic view, conversion disorder symptoms function to keep unacceptable thoughts and conflicts out of consciousness. This is called:

A) sociocultural stress.
B) primary gain.
C) reinforcement.
D) secondary gain.

Question 71

If a man's behavior elicited kindness and sympathy from his wife when he was mute, he would be receiving _____ gains from his behavior.

A) primary
B) secondary
C) tertiary
D) no

Question 72

A woman who is particularly threatened by any display of anger becomes unable to speak when she is most angry with her husband, thereby keeping the anger out of her awareness. According to psychodynamic theorists, she is achieving _____ from her illness.

A) primary gain
B) secondary gain
C) tertiary gain
D) no gain

Question 73

A woman has close female relatives diagnosed with a somatization pattern of somatic symptom disorder. According to research, her probability of being diagnosed with the same disorder is about:

A) 2 percent.
B) 10 percent.
C) 20 percent.
D) 50 percent.

Question 74

Madeline appeared at the clinic complaining of pain in her knee, shoulder, and abdomen, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, and exhaustion. The patient history revealed that she had been going to clinics for years trying to get treatment for these complaints and a host of other physical symptoms. The diagnostic consensus was that Madeline suffered from:

A) factitious disorder
B) somatic symptom disorder.
C) preoccupation disorder.
D) body dysmorphic disorder

Question 75

Abnormalities that are thought to have both biological and psychological causes are diagnosed as:

A) factitious disorders.
B) somatic symptom disorder.
C) psychogenic disorders.
D) psychological factors affecting one's medical condition.

Question 76

If you looked in Jeanette's medicine cabinet, you would find dozens of prescriptions and even more over-the-counter medications. Every time she sneezes, Jeanette is sure she has the latest deadly flu, although no physician has ever found anything wrong with her. Jeanette probably suffers from:

A) conversion disorder.
B) body dysmorphic disorder.
C) Munchausen syndrome.
D) somatic symptom disorder.

Question 77

If a therapist believed that a person was displaying conversion disorder symptoms because the symptoms helped the person avoid unpleasant situations, you would think that the therapist was:

A) a cognitive theorist or a behaviorist.
B) a cognitive theorist or a psychoanalyst.
C) a psychoanalyst or a behaviorist.
D) a cognitive theorist, a behaviorist, or a psychoanalyst.

Question 78

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, a person who today is diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder would MOST likely have been diagnosed with:

A) Freudian syndrome.
B) pseudopsychological syndrome.
C) Briquet's syndrome.
D) referenced pain syndrome.

Question 79

Freud believed that "hysterical" symptoms:

A) were rooted in the oral stage.
B) enabled people to avoid unpleasant activities.
C) were medical problems that needed medical, not psychological treatment.
D) were more common in men than women.

Question 80

Which statement BEST reflects our understanding of hysterical disorders?

A) Hysterical disorders are explained similarly to how anxiety disorders are explained.
B) Currently, hysterical disorders are thought to be due to a "wandering uterus."
C) Hysterical disorder symptoms appear to be particularly resistant to hypnosis.
D) The causes of hysterical disorders are poorly understood, with no theory predominant in aiding understanding.