Question 1

Angela hears voices that tell her to commit suicide. She also tends to use many neologisms when she speaks and believes that the FBI is spying on her. Which statement regarding Angela is accurate?

Accepted Answer

Angela exhibits positive symptoms of schizophrenia, which include hallucinations (hearing voices), delusions (believing the FBI is spying on her), and disorganized speech (using neologisms).

Question 2

Mason hears voices and believes he is Napoleon. Jason shows no emotions, even in situations where strong reactions would be expected. Mason is exhibiting ____ symptoms of schizophrenia, and Jason is exhibiting ____ symptoms.

Accepted Answer

Mason is exhibiting positive symptoms because he is experiencing hallucinations and delusions, which are additional symptoms that are not present in healthy individuals. Jason is exhibiting negative symptoms because he is lacking emotional expression, which is a deficit or absence of normal functions that healthy individuals possess. Therefore, option B is correct, as it correctly identifies both the positive and negative symptom types displayed by each person.

Question 3

Patrick says, "I'm afraid to go to my in-laws' house because I hate them. Whenever I go there, they can hear whenever I think how much I hate them and that I think they should clean their house." What schizophrenic symptom is Patrick displaying?

Accepted Answer

Patrick is experiencing thought broadcasting, where he believes that his thoughts are audible to others.

Question 4

Schizophrenia spectrum disorder has four categories of symptoms. They include positive symptoms, negative symptoms, cognitive symptoms, and ____.

Accepted Answer

Psychomotor abnormalities are considered one of the categories of symptoms in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, alongside positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms.

Question 5

Which model views schizophrenia as a chronic medical condition and strives for a substantial return of function in individuals with the disorder?

Accepted Answer

The recovery model views schizophrenia as a chronic condition but emphasizes the potential for individuals to regain a significant level of functioning and lead fulfilling lives.

Question 6

A false belief that is firmly and consistently held despite contradictory evidence or logic is a ____.

Accepted Answer

The definition given clearly matches the description of a delusion - a false belief that is held despite contradictory evidence or logic. The other choices are not accurate, as a distortion is a general term for any type of misrepresentation, a loose association refers to a thought disorder in which ideas are loosely connected, and a hallucination is a sensory experience that is not based in reality.

Question 7

Professor Brewer says, "Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are a group of potentially disabling disorders that are characterized by hallucinations (false beliefs about the self or others) and delusions (seeing, hearing or otherwise sensing things that are not present). Fortunately, the experiences are rarely distressing to patients even during the first episode." Which part of Professor Brewer's statement is accurate?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Professor Brewer says, "Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are...

Question 8

People who experience persecutory delusions may respond to the delusions with "safety behaviors" that remove them from what they view as dangerous situations. This paradoxically prevents ____ from helping them.

Accepted Answer

Safety behaviors prevent individuals from encountering information that contradicts their delusions, thus maintaining the delusional belief.

Question 9

Which symptom is a primary characteristic of schizophrenia?

Accepted Answer

Marked disturbances in thinking, including delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and disorganized or catatonic behavior, are considered primary characteristics of schizophrenia. While individuals with schizophrenia may also experience short-term memory deficits, fear of being left alone, and feelings of worthlessness, these symptoms are not necessarily considered primary characteristics of the disorder.

Question 10

The group of disorders that is characterized by severely impaired cognitive processes, personality disintegration, affective disturbances, and social withdrawal is collectively termed ____.

Accepted Answer

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders include a range of disorders that share common symptoms such as impaired cognitive processes, personality disintegration, affective disturbances, and social withdrawal. The other options (A, C, D) do not encompass all of these symptoms or are specific to certain personality disorders or mood disorders.

Question 11

"My father poisons my food, and my mother has hired a hit man to shoot me. My boss is plotting to humiliate me, and my neighbor spies on me." These comments illustrate the schizophrenic symptom known as ____.

Accepted Answer

Delusions of persecution are a common symptom of schizophrenia, in which the individual believes they are being targeted, harassed, or conspired against, often by people close to them or in positions of authority. This can lead to feelings of paranoia, self-isolation, and in extreme cases, dangerous behavior. Anhedonia refers to a lack of pleasure or interest in activities once enjoyed, catatonia is a state of abnormal motor behavior or unresponsiveness, and delusions of grandeur involve believing oneself to be exceptionally powerful or important.

Question 12

Sensory perceptions that are not directly attributable to environmental stimuli are called ____.

Accepted Answer

Hallucinations are sensory perceptions that occur without any external stimuli causing them. Ideas of reference are false beliefs that normal events have special meanings specifically for oneself. Delusions are false beliefs that are resistant to change despite evidence to the contrary. Loose associations are a type of disordered thinking characterized by abrupt and illogical shifts between ideas.

Question 13

Tuyet-Hoa hears voices in her head. These voices often tell her that she is a bad person and does not deserve to live. Tuyet-Hoa is experiencing ____.

Accepted Answer

Auditory hallucinations involve hearing voices or sounds that are not present, which is what Tuyet-Hoa is experiencing.

Question 14

Dominic tells you that he is married to Jennifer Lopez and that together, they rule the world. Vincent tells you that all the other patients and the staff are talking about his case and what to do about him. Dominic suffers from delusions of ____, whereas Vincent suffers from delusions of ____.

Accepted Answer

Dominic's belief that he is married to Jennifer Lopez and they rule the world is a delusion of grandeur, while Vincent's belief that everyone is talking about his case and what to do about him is a delusion of reference.

Question 15

Which statement about schizophrenia is accurate?

Accepted Answer

The causes of schizophrenia are not well understood, as it is believed to result from a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and neurobiological factors.

Question 16

Eldon, who has schizophrenia, experiences delusions. It is likely that ____.

Accepted Answer

People with schizophrenia often have limited insight into their delusions, meaning they may not recognize how illogical or unfounded their beliefs are.

Question 17

Which statement about the DSM-5's criteria for diagnosing schizophrenia is accurate?

Accepted Answer

The DSM-5 requires that there is a significant decline in functioning in one or more major areas, such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care, for a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Question 18

Cassie's therapist diagnosed her with "brief psychotic disorder." We can assume that for Cassie, a psychological stressor ____.

Accepted Answer

Brief psychotic disorder is characterized by the sudden onset of psychotic symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and lasts less than one month. A psychological stressor often precedes the onset of the disorder. Therefore, choice D is the best answer.

Question 19

A clinical psychologist is interested in minimizing the delusions in a patient with schizophrenia. A method for doing this involves ____.

Accepted Answer

Weakening and then directly challenging the delusions is a commonly used method known as cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp) that has been shown to be effective in reducing the severity and frequency of delusions in patients with schizophrenia. It involves exploring the evidence and logic behind the delusional beliefs, identifying any cognitive biases or faulty thinking patterns, and challenging these beliefs with alternative explanations and evidence. Relaxation training and response prevention (B) are methods typically used in treating anxiety disorders, not schizophrenia. Exaggeration and humor, followed by aversive conditioning (C) is not a recognized or evidence-based treatment approach. Agreeing with the delusional ideas until they seem absurd (D) is a potentially harmful practice known as "colluding with the patient's delusions" and can undermine the patient's ability to distinguish between reality and their delusional beliefs.

Question 20

Polly thinks that her father and mother have been replaced by two people who are simply acting as her father and mother. She believes that someone found people who look exactly like her parents and exchanged them. Polly's disorder, which is rare, is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Capgras syndrome is a disorder where a person believes that someone close to them has been replaced by an identical impostor.

Quiz 11: Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders