Question 1

Several times in the past 2 months, Petra has experienced a racing heart, intense fear that something horrible is about to happen, and an inability to breathe. Petra most likely is suffering from ______ disorder.

Accepted Answer

Petra's symptoms match those of a panic attack, which is a defining characteristic of panic disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive worrying about many things, social anxiety involves fear and avoidance of social situations, and separation anxiety is typically seen in children who are fearful of being separated from their caregiver. None of these match Petra's symptoms as closely as panic disorder.

Question 2

Brett has an intense, irrational fear of needles and other sharp objects. Brett might be diagnosed with ______.

Accepted Answer

Brett's fear of needles and sharp objects is a specific and intense phobia, which would lead to a diagnosis of specific phobia.

Question 3

Maxine spends hours each day trying to suppress the intrusive worry that she may have forgotten to lock her house when she left for work. Her experience is most symptomatic of ______ disorder.

Accepted Answer

Maxine's experience of spending hours each day trying to suppress intrusive worries about whether she has locked her house is most characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is characterized by recurrent and persistent thoughts or impulses that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked distress, anxiety, or discomfort.

Question 4

Sally is focused on cleaning her home, which she does for 4 hours per day. In particular, the fringe on her rugs must be straight on both sides in all five rooms. This takes considerable time, and she often repeats this 10 to 12 times per day. Her experience is most symptomatic of ______ disorder.

Accepted Answer

Sally's behavior is indicative of obsessive-compulsive disorder, as she is obsessively focused on cleaning and her behavior (repeating the straightening of rug fringe) is a compulsive ritual that she feels compelled to perform.

Question 5

Michael is extremely fearful of germs. He sleeps in a special chamber at night, wears gloves, and will only eat food that he can unwrap. His symptoms are most characteristic of ______.

Accepted Answer

Michael's fear of germs is a specific phobia, which is an excessive and irrational fear of a specific object or situation. His fear is focused on germs and he engages in specific behaviors to avoid exposure, such as sleeping in a special chamber and wearing gloves. Panic disorder involves recurrent panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive and uncontrollable worry about multiple areas of life, and agoraphobia involves fear and avoidance of situations where escape may be difficult or embarrassing.

Question 6

In prior editions of the DSM, agoraphobia was closely aligned with ______.

Accepted Answer

Agoraphobia was previously considered as a part of panic disorder in earlier editions of the DSM. It was regarded as a complication of panic disorder, where individuals avoided certain situations or places for fear of experiencing a panic attack. However, in the DSM-5, agoraphobia is considered a separate diagnosis from panic disorder.

Question 7

Specific phobia is BEST defined as fear of ______.

Accepted Answer

Specific phobia is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by excessive and irrational fear of a particular object, animal, activity, or situation. This fear is often out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the phobic stimulus and can result in significant distress and impairment in daily life.

Question 8

Animal and situational phobias are much more prevalent in women, EXCEPT in the case of a fear of ______.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that while women generally report more phobias than men, the fear of heights (acrophobia) does not exhibit a significant gender difference in its prevalence.

Question 9

The textbook suggests that ______ are the medications MOST often prescribed for the treatment of panic disorder.

Accepted Answer

According to the textbook, antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are the medications most often prescribed for the treatment of panic disorder. While benzodiazepines may also be prescribed for short-term symptom relief, they are typically recommended as a second-line treatment due to concerns about addiction potential and other side effects.

Question 10

Specific phobias of such objects as refrigerators or cars are relatively rare because

Accepted Answer

Specific phobias of objects like refrigerators or cars are relatively rare because these objects were not present in humans' early evolutionary history, meaning humans have not developed innate fears of them.

Question 11

Stephanie is riding the train home from work. Suddenly she feels a shortness of breath, her heart is racing, and she is incredibly dizzy. She has the feeling that her life is in danger. This is not the first time this has happened to Stephanie, and she is considering avoiding the train in the future. Based on this information, Stephanie is MOST likely to be diagnosed with ______.

Accepted Answer

Stephanie's symptoms of sudden shortness of breath, racing heart, dizziness, and fear of imminent danger are consistent with a panic attack, which is the hallmark of panic disorder. The fact that it has happened more than once and she is considering avoiding the train in the future suggests that this is a pattern of panic attacks, rather than a one-time occurrence due to a specific trigger. Social anxiety disorder involves fear and avoidance of social situations, whereas agoraphobia involves fear and avoidance of situations that might be difficult to escape, such as crowded public spaces. Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves recurring, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and the need to perform certain behaviors (compulsions) to alleviate anxiety. None of these diagnoses seems to fit Stephanie's symptoms as well as panic disorder.

Question 12

______ therapy is generally considered the MOST effective treatment for specific phobia.

Accepted Answer

Exposure therapy is considered the most effective treatment for specific phobias. This therapy involves gradually exposing the individual to the feared object or situation, typically starting with less anxiety-provoking versions and working up to more challenging exposures. Over time, the individual learns to tolerate and even overcome their fear, resulting in significant symptom improvement. Brief psychodynamic, dialectical behavior, and emotion-focused therapies are not typically used as first-line treatments for specific phobias.

Question 13

Physiologically, the fainting that is sometimes seen in cases of blood-injection-injury phobias MOST immediately reflects a rapid ______.

Accepted Answer

Fainting in cases of blood-injection-injury phobias is known as vasovagal syncope, which is caused by a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure. This occurs due to activation of the vagus nerve, which causes blood vessels to dilate and the heart to slow down, leading to a decrease in blood supply to the brain and resulting in fainting. Adrenaline, GABA activity, and amygdala activity are not directly related to the mechanism of fainting in this context.

Question 14

Fainting is sometimes seen in ______ phobias.

Accepted Answer

Fainting is a common reaction in patients with blood-injection-injury (B-I-I) phobia. B-I-I phobia is a type of specific phobia, which is characterized by an excessive and irrational fear of blood, needles, injections, or injury. When patients with B-I-I phobia confront their feared stimuli, they may experience an immediate drop in heart rate and blood pressure, leading to fainting or a vasovagal syncope. This response is unique to B-I-I phobia and is not commonly seen in other specific phobias such as animal or natural phobias. S ituation-specific phobia may have similar fainting reactions in certain situations, depending on the individual and type of phobia.

Question 15

Which stimulus should be MOST easily learned as a specific phobia?

Accepted Answer

Small spiders are known to be a common and easily learned specific phobia due to their potential to be perceived as threatening and their prevalence in many environments. Guns and cars may be associated with danger, but they are not as common or ubiquitous as spiders. Rotten fruit is not typically associated with danger, and therefore less likely to be learned as a phobia.

Question 16

With respect to specific phobia, the MOST common natural phobia is fear of ______.

Accepted Answer

According to research, the most common natural phobia is acrophobia, which is the fear of heights.

Question 17

People who suffer from ______ disorder are so preoccupied by unwanted repetitive thoughts and/or actions that they are unable to function in their daily lives.

Accepted Answer

The description matches the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCD experience intrusive and distressing thoughts (obsessions) and engage in repeated behaviors to reduce anxiety (compulsions), which can interfere with their ability to engage in normal daily activities.

Question 18

______ people report experiencing a pounding heart and dizziness when they have a panic attack.

Accepted Answer

Nearly all people report experiencing a pounding heart and dizziness when they have a panic attack.

Question 19

Anxiety is to panic as the ______ is to the ______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Anxiety is to panic as the ______...

Question 20

The categories of feared objects or situations in specific phobia do NOT include ______ phobias.

Accepted Answer

The categories of feared objects or situations in specific phobia include natural (e.g. heights, storms), situational (e.g. flying, driving), and animal (e.g. spiders, snakes). Social phobia involves a fear of social situations, such as public speaking or being in a crowded room, but it is not considered a specific phobia.

Quiz 8: Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders