Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a category covered in a mental status exam?

Accepted Answer

A mental status exam focuses on assessing a person's current mental state, including aspects such as their mood, thought content, perception, and memory. It does not cover physical symptoms, which would be better assessed through a physical exam or medical history review.

Question 2

A clinician asks a child to sit at a desk in a simulated classroom situation to complete a difficult task.The clinician is using this technique to discover the reasons the child has been engaging in self-hitting (self-injurious) behaviour.In behavioural assessment terms, what type of behaviour has the self-hitting been identified as?

Accepted Answer

The self-hitting behaviour has been identified as the target behaviour, which is the behaviour that the clinician is trying to address and understand the reasons for. The other options (measurable behaviour, resultant behaviour, observable behaviour) are all important aspects of behavioural assessment, but they do not specifically apply to the identification of the self-hitting behaviour as the target behaviour.

Question 3

In contrast to projective tests, personality inventories such as the MMPI are based on the collection and evaluation of data.What type of approach is this?

Accepted Answer

Personality inventories like the MMPI use an empirical approach which involves gathering and analyzing data through scientific observation and experimentation. They are based on quantifiable evidence and are often standardized, making them more reliable and objective than projective tests.

Question 4

What are the ABCs of behavioural observation?

Accepted Answer

The ABCs of behavioural observation are antecedent, behaviour, and consequences. This refers to the events or stimuli that occur before the behaviour (antecedent), the behaviour itself, and the events or stimuli that occur after the behaviour (consequences) that influence its future occurrence. Choice B is incorrect because affect refers to emotions or mood, not a component of behavioural observation. Choice C is incorrect because causes could refer to a wide range of factors, whereas behavioural observation specifically focuses on antecedents and consequences. Choice D is incorrect because cognition (thoughts or mental processes) is not a component of behavioural observation.

Question 5

How does the fMRI procedure differ from the traditional MRI?

Accepted Answer

The fMRI procedure differs from traditional MRI in that it can take pictures of the brain at work, recording changes from one second to the next. Traditional MRI creates images based on the magnetic properties of tissues in the brain, while fMRI measures changes in blood oxygenation levels that are related to neuronal activity.

Question 6

Your 70-year-old father is recounting a childhood story when he describes affectionately the boy down the street as an imbecile.You respond to your father by saying, in classifying mental disorders, we don't use labels such as "moron," "imbecile," or "idiot" anymore.When he asks you why, how do you respond?

Accepted Answer

Labels such as "moron," "imbecile," or "idiot" have taken on a negative connotation over time and are considered offensive. Mental health professionals now use less stigmatizing and more accurate terminology to diagnose and classify mental disorders. Using outdated and offensive terms can contribute to negative attitudes and stigma towards individuals with mental health disorders.

Question 7

If two people are both diagnosed with the same disorder using the DSM-5, how will the two people be similar?

Accepted Answer

The DSM-5 diagnosis is based on the presence of a certain number of symptoms, and the two people diagnosed with the same disorder will have some of the same symptoms as each other. However, the specific symptoms experienced may vary in severity and frequency. The other options (A, B, and C) are not necessarily true for everyone with the same disorder, as symptoms, distress, and functioning can vary greatly between individuals.

Question 8

Researcher David Wolfe used contrived situations to assess the emotional reactions of parents with a history of abuse toward their children.His goal of creating these situations was to use the observations to develop which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Wolfe's goal in creating contrived situations to observe the emotional reactions of parents with a history of abuse was likely to gather specific insights that could inform the development of effective treatment plans. These plans would be tailored to address the unique challenges and behaviors observed in the parents, aiming to improve their interactions with their children and reduce the risk of future abuse.

Question 9

What kind of test is the Stanford-Binet test?

Accepted Answer

The Stanford-Binet test is a standardized intelligence test, used to assess cognitive abilities such as reasoning, problem-solving, and abstract thinking.

Question 10

What have recent research studies used PET scans for?

Accepted Answer

Recent research studies have used PET scans to look at varying patterns of brain metabolism that might be associated with different disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, depression, and epilepsy. PET scans can show changes in brain activity and neurotransmitter levels, providing insight into the underlying causes of these disorders. PET scans are less commonly used for identifying specific structural abnormalities, such as brain tumours or injuries, which are better visualized with other types of imaging, such as MRI or CT scans.

Question 11

Determining mood and affect is an important part of the mental status exam.Although both terms refer to feeling states of the individual, how does mood differ from affect?

Accepted Answer

Mood refers to the pervasive and sustained emotional state of the individual, such as feeling sad or happy. Affect, on the other hand, refers to the observable and immediate emotional response of the individual in a specific situation, such as their facial expressions or tone of voice. Therefore, mood is more pervasive than affect because it encompasses a broader and more long-lasting emotional state.

Question 12

Dr.Ashton has assessed Mr.Tindale and sees that while Mr.Tindale knows his name and the date, he doesn't know where he is.Dr.Ashton writes something in Mr.Tindale's chart that the nurses are having trouble reading.What do you think Dr.Ashton wrote?

Accepted Answer

Orientation is assessed in three areas: person (knowing who one is), place (knowing where one is), and time (knowing the current date and time). Since Mr. Tindale knows his name and the date, he is oriented to person and time, but not place, hence "oriented times two."

Question 13

What do we call the process of determining whether an individual's symptoms meet the criteria for a specific psychological disorder?

Accepted Answer

The process of determining whether an individual's symptoms meet the criteria for a specific psychological disorder is called diagnosis. Prognosis refers to predicting the future course and outcome of the disorder, analysis refers to the process of breaking down complex information into smaller parts to gain a better understanding, and classification refers to the grouping of disorders based on similar symptoms and characteristics.

Question 14

What type of disorder is the condition in the Inuit culture known as "kayak-angst"?

Accepted Answer

"Kayak-angst" is a term used to describe a cultural-specific form of anxiety disorder found in the Inuit people of Arctic Canada. It is characterized by intense feelings of fear and panic while out in open water in a kayak. This fear is related to the Inuit belief that the kayak and the hunter are one unit, and the fear of capsizing or drowning is therefore seen as a risk to the self as a whole. Symptoms of kayak-angst may include hyperventilation, shaking, sweating, and feelings of extreme dread. Therefore, the best choice for this condition is anxiety disorder.

Question 15

With respect to monitoring procedures, which of the following is an example of the reactivity phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

The reactivity phenomenon refers to changes in behaviour due to being monitored or observed. In this case, the man's eating behaviour changed after joining a weight-loss program with weekly monitoring, indicating reactivity. The other choices do not necessarily involve monitoring or observation that could cause a change in behaviour.

Question 16

An IQ test indicates a level of intelligence that closely corresponds with a student's high school grades and with teachers' ratings of the student's intelligence.In this instance, what does this IQ test have?

Accepted Answer

Concurrent validity refers to the degree to which a measure is related to other measures taken at the same time. In this case, the IQ test is showing a strong correlation with the student's high school grades and teacher ratings of intelligence, indicating a strong concurrent validity.

Question 17

A patient who had recurrent headaches, fatigue, and loss of appetite received different diagnoses from several psychiatrists.In terms of assessment, what type of problem does this example illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This example illustrates a problem with reliability, which refers to the consistency of a measure or diagnostic process. If different psychiatrists are giving different diagnoses for the same set of symptoms, it indicates that the diagnostic process is not reliable.

Question 18

You are attending a mental health lecture at your school when a heated debate erupts over the inclusion of premenstrual dysphoric disorder in the DSM.Why does this controversy exist?

Accepted Answer

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) has been a controversial diagnosis because it is often seen as stigmatizing women's emotions, further marginalizing them as being overly emotional or irrational. Some critics argue that PMDD is simply a natural part of the menstrual cycle and not a disorder, while others argue that it pathologizes a normal experience and medicalizes women's emotions. The controversy largely revolves around issues related to stigmatization.

Question 19

In studies using fMRI, how did post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) participants who report primarily dissociative (numbing-type) responses to listening to scripts about their traumas compare to PTSD participants who experienced primarily hyperarousal patterns to trauma scripts?

Accepted Answer

Studies using fMRI have shown that participants with PTSD who report primarily dissociative responses show very different patterns of brain activation compared to those who experience primarily hyperarousal patterns. The dissociative response group showed less activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and amygdala, which are associated with emotional regulation, while showing increased activity in the dorsal prefrontal cortex, which is associated with cognitive control. On the other hand, the hyperarousal response group showed increased activity in the amygdala and insula, which are associated with emotional processing and reactivity.

Question 20

What is a disadvantage of semistructured interviews?

Accepted Answer

Semistructured interviews may inhibit the patient from volunteering useful information because the interviewer is following a predetermined set of questions rather than allowing for more free-flowing conversation. This can lead to important information being missed or not fully explored.

Quiz 3: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis