Question 1

Bella is a 10 year old girl who doesn't seem to have outgrown the "terrible twos" - she has temper tantrums on a regular basis. What diagnosis is she most likely to get when she visits a psychologist?

Accepted Answer

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder is characterized by severe and recurrent temper outbursts that are grossly out of proportion in intensity or duration to the situation. Symptoms typically present before age 10, and the diagnosis requires the absence of bipolar disorder. Therefore, this diagnosis is the most likely for Bella based on the given information.

Question 2

In DSM-IV-TR, each diagnostic category also had a diagnosis of "not otherwise specified." In which diagnostic category was that the most frequent diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Eating Disorders often had a significant number of cases diagnosed as "not otherwise specified" (NOS) in the DSM-IV-TR, reflecting the diversity and complexity of symptoms that didn't fully meet the criteria for specific disorders like Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.

Question 3

The proportion of a population that has a disorder at any given time is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Prevalence refers to the proportion of a population that has a disorder at a particular point in time. Incidence refers to the number of new cases of a disorder that develop within a specific period, usually a year. Occurrence is a more general term that can refer to either incidence or prevalence. Frequency refers to the number of times a particular event, such as a symptom or behavior, occurs within a particular time period.

Question 4

What is the challenge posed by comorbidity?

Accepted Answer

Comorbidity refers to the presence of two or more conditions or disorders in an individual at the same time. This can make treatment planning more challenging as the treatment plan needs to address all the conditions simultaneously. It can also impact client compliance as they may have to manage multiple treatments or medications. Additionally, coordination of services can become complicated as multiple healthcare providers may need to work together. Therefore, all of the options are correct.

Question 5

The dimensional approach to Personality Disorders is:

Accepted Answer

The dimensional approach to Personality Disorders is indeed listed in DSM-5 as needing further study. DSM-5 introduced a hybrid model for assessing personality disorders, incorporating both categorical and dimensional approaches, but the fully dimensional model is in Section III, which includes conditions and models that require further research.

Question 6

V codes in DSM-5 refer to:

Accepted Answer

V codes in DSM-5 refer to significant factors that can have a strong influence on treatment, such as life events, environmental problems, and other psychosocial and contextual factors that may impact the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of a mental health condition. They are not a separate diagnosis, but are used to better understand and address the context in which mental health problems arise.

Question 7

Being interested in epidemiology means that:

Accepted Answer

Epidemiology is the study of the frequency and distribution of health-related events, conditions, and their causes in a given population. This means that epidemiologists are focused on understanding patterns and trends of diseases or health conditions in a population, as well as identifying risk factors and potential interventions. Choice A is incorrect because epidemiology typically focuses on one disorder at a time, not multiple disorders. Choice B is also incorrect because while epidemiology may involve studying the development of a disease, it is not the sole focus of the field.

Question 8

In previous editions of the DSM, suicide was considered in the context of:

Accepted Answer

Suicide was considered in the context of depression in previous editions of the DSM. The DSM-5 continues to list suicidal behavior as a symptom of depression, but also includes it as a symptom in other disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Question 9

The concept of comorbidity in abnormal psychology means that:

Accepted Answer

Comorbidity in abnormal psychology refers to the co-occurrence of two or more mental disorders in an individual. Therefore, option A is the correct choice. Option B is incorrect because comorbidity is not restricted to physical disorders, while option C and D are irrelevant to the concept of comorbidity.

Question 10

Jane has always been generally mentally healthy, but since her husband died three months ago, she constantly feels down. She goes to see a psychologist who diagnoses her according to DSM-5. Jane is diagnosed with:

Accepted Answer

According to the DSM-5, symptoms of depression that persist for more than two weeks can be diagnosed as a depressive disorder, even in the context of bereavement. Jane's constant feeling of being down for over three months since her husband's death could qualify for a diagnosis of depression, as it exceeds the typical bereavement period and impacts her mental health.

Question 11

One of the main objectives of the revision of the DSM (to DSM-5)was to:

Accepted Answer

One of the main objectives of the revision of the DSM-5 was to align it with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) system, thus improving the consistency of diagnoses worldwide. The other options are incorrect as they do not accurately reflect the main objective of the DSM-5 revision.

Question 12

Determining the proportion of a population that has a disorder at a given time is called:

Accepted Answer

Prevalence is defined as the proportion of individuals in a population that have a particular disorder or condition at a specific point in time. Comorbidity refers to the presence of multiple disorders in the same individual, and epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations.

Question 13

In DSM-5 the "not otherwise specified" diagnosis was eliminated in favour of

Accepted Answer

The DSM-5 replaced "not otherwise specified" diagnoses with two new categories: "other specified" disorder and "unspecified" disorder, to allow for more precise and flexible diagnostic options.

Question 14

One of the big changes to the DSM-5 was supposed to be a dimensional system for diagnosing personality disorders. Why didn't this happen?

Accepted Answer

The dimensional system was considered too complex and not well developed enough to replace the existing categorical system, leading to its exclusion from the main diagnostic criteria in DSM-5.

Question 15

Evidence-based treatment literature has been criticized for:

Accepted Answer

Excluding participants that have comorbidity conditions can limit the generalizability of the results to the wider population and undermines the external validity of the study. The other criticisms may have some validity but are not as significant as excluding participants with comorbidity conditions.

Question 16

How did the Internet play a role in the development of DSM-5?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How did the Internet play a role...

Question 17

Mackenzie recently broke up with her boyfriend and while she's been feeling down, she doesn't meet the diagnostic criteria for depression. Her therapist needs to put a diagnostic code on her insurance form, though, so she should:

Accepted Answer

V codes, also known as "Relational Problems," are used when someone is experiencing distress related to a particular life circumstance or relational issue, but do not meet the criteria for a specific mental disorder. This would be the most appropriate diagnostic code for Mackenzie's situation, as it accurately reflects her current state without falsely diagnosing her with a disorder she does not have.

Question 18

DSM-5 was published in 2013, but work on it began in:

Accepted Answer

Work on DSM-5 began in 2008.

Question 19

DSM-IV-TR is based on a categorical diagnostic system. DSM-5 is based on a ____________ diagnostic system.

Accepted Answer

The answer of DSM-IV-TR is based on a categorical diagnostic...

Question 20

In DSM-5, children who were diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in DSM-IV-TR would now be diagnosed with:

Accepted Answer

The answer of In DSM-5, children who were diagnosed with...

Quiz 3: Clinical Assessment, Classification, and Diagnosis