Question 1

Regarding somatoform disorders, which of the following statements is/are TRUE?

Accepted Answer

All of these statements are true. Hypochondriasis, somatization disorder, and pain disorder are all types of somatoform disorders characterized by physical symptoms that have no medical basis or explanation. People with hypochondriasis are preoccupied with the fear that they have a serious illness, despite medical reassurances to the contrary. People with somatization disorder have repeated and varied physical complaints, while people with pain disorder suffer from prolonged and disabling pain, despite no identifiable physical cause.

Question 2

Multiple personality, or dissociative identity disorder, has been linked to

Accepted Answer

Multiple personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder has been linked to childhood abuse, particularly severe and repetitive physical, sexual or emotional abuse, and neglect. Individuals with this disorder may develop dissociative states as a coping mechanism to deal with trauma.

Question 3

Regarding dissociative identity disorder, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

When a person has a dissociative identity disorder, they may experience a range of symptoms including memory loss, depersonalization, and identity confusion, but episodes of psychosis are not a typical symptom of this disorder. Psychosis involves a loss of contact with reality and is more commonly associated with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Dissociative identity disorder is believed to develop as a coping mechanism in response to severe trauma, typically from childhood experiences.

Question 4

A person who regularly interprets normal body sensations as signs of a serious disease has

Accepted Answer

The person described in the scenario is experiencing hypochondriasis, a condition where a person is preoccupied with the fear of having a serious illness despite having no or mild symptoms. It is characterized by excessive worry and anxiety about one's health, which can lead to frequent and unnecessary medical consultations.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of dissociative identity disorder?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is an example...

Question 6

Edgar is experiencing severe back pain that has no identifiable physical cause.Edgar's pain disorder would be classified as a(n)

Accepted Answer

Edgar's pain disorder is described as having no identifiable physical cause, indicating that it may be a somatoform disorder. Somatoform disorders are characterized by physical symptoms that are not fully explainable by a general medical condition or direct effect of substance use or withdrawal.  The other options (anxiety disorder, organic mental disorder, dissociative disorder) do not fit the description provided.

Question 7

Even though Tomas has never smoked, he immediately thinks that his bad cough is the result of lung cancer rather than the common cold.Tomas is most likely suffering from

Accepted Answer

Tomas is exhibiting hypochondriasis, which is characterized by excessive worry and fear about having a serious illness despite few or no symptoms. This can lead to an individual believing they have a certain illness even when the evidence does not support it. The other options are not consistent with Tomas's symptoms. Conversion disorder involves physical symptoms that cannot be explained by a medical condition, organic mental disorder refers to diseases that affect the brain such as Alzheimer's disease, and psychosomatic illness involves physical symptoms that are caused by psychological factors.

Question 8

Even though she is very healthy, Renee is overconcerned with her health.She is preoccupied with developing cancer, so she spends a lot of time reading about cancer, checking her moles, and going for cancer screenings more often than necessary.Renee is most likely suffering from

Accepted Answer

Renee is exhibiting symptoms of hypochondriasis, a mental disorder characterized by excessive worry and preoccupation with having a serious illness, despite having no or few actual symptoms of such an illness. This preoccupation can lead the individual to repeatedly seek medical care, even when it is unnecessary, as in Renee's case.

Question 9

Before the doctor sees Mina, the nurse asks Mina a series of questions regarding her bodily complaints.Mina tells the nurse that in the past week she has had vomiting, constipation, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, numbness in her feet at night, a painful tingling in her feet during the day, and headaches that keep her in bed most of the day.The nurse suspects that Mina may have

Accepted Answer

Mina's symptoms are physical and she reports a wide range of bodily complaints with no clear organic cause. This suggests that she may be experiencing a somatization disorder, which is characterized by the presence of multiple physical symptoms that are not explained by a medical condition. The other options (hypochondriasis, pain disorder, conversion disorder) do not fit Mina's symptom profile. Hypochondriasis involves excessive worrying or fear about having a serious illness, whereas Mina does not mention any specific fears about her health. A pain disorder typically involves chronic pain in a specific area of the body, whereas Mina's symptoms are widespread. Conversion disorder involves the presence of physical symptoms that are caused by psychological distress, but do not have an identifiable medical cause. While this may be a possibility for Mina, her symptoms are so diverse that somatization disorder is a better fit.

Question 10

Hypochondriasis, pain disorders, and conversion disorders are types of _____ disorders.

Accepted Answer

Hypochondriasis, pain disorders, and conversion disorders are all examples of somatoform disorders. These disorders involve physical symptoms that cannot be fully explained by a medical condition and are often linked to psychological factors.

Question 11

In contrast to hypochondriasis, somatization disorders result when

Accepted Answer

Somatization disorders involve expressing psychological distress through physical symptoms, such as headaches, stomachaches, and fatigue, rather than through direct talk about emotions. Unlike hypochondriasis, individuals with somatization disorders may actually experience physical symptoms, but the symptoms are often disproportionate to any actual medical condition or injury. The focus on physical symptoms can also result in increased anxiety and further exacerbation of symptoms.

Question 12

Regarding dissociative identity disorders, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The statement that heavy drug use as teenagers is found in over 95 percent of individuals with dissociative identity disorder is false. There is no clear evidence to support this claim.

Question 13

Multiple personality, or dissociative identity disorder, often begins

Accepted Answer

Multiple personality disorder, or dissociative identity disorder, typically develops as a coping mechanism in response to severe childhood trauma or abuse. It is often characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states or identities that take control of the person's behavior at different times.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of pain disorder?

Accepted Answer

Pain disorder refers to the presence of severe and prolonged pain that is not fully explained by a medical condition or injury. In this case, Terry is experiencing elbow pain with no physical explanation, which could be an example of pain disorder.

Option B describes a behavior that suggests a fascination with or enjoyment of pain, which is more indicative of a psychological condition known as a masochistic personality disorder.

Option C describes an issue with nerve damage that causes the person to be numb to pain.

Option D is similar to option C but instead of physical damage, it is a psychological disorder that prevents the person from feeling pain. Neither option C nor D would be classified as a pain disorder.

Question 15

A person, who experiences a long series of imagined physical complaints, feels ill much of the time, and visits doctors repeatedly, would most likely be suffering from

Accepted Answer

The symptoms described are characteristic of somatization disorder, which involves physical symptoms without any underlying medical cause and often results in repeated doctor visits. A conversion reaction involves a sudden loss of physical functions due to emotional distress, not ongoing physical complaints. A traumatic disorder involves a response to a traumatic event, but the symptoms described do not suggest this. An obsession involves persistent and intrusive thoughts or impulses, not physical symptoms.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of hypochondriasis?

Accepted Answer

Wally's belief that he has blocked arteries is a characteristic of hypochondriasis, where individuals have excessive fear or preoccupation with having a serious illness despite having no or mild symptoms.

Question 17

Regarding dissociative disorders, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

Schizophrenia is not a type of dissociative disorder, but rather a separate mental health disorder. Dissociative disorders involve disruptions or breakdowns in memory, consciousness, identity, or perception, but schizophrenia typically involves delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and other symptoms related to perception and thought processes.

Question 18

Mac has been to numerous doctors regarding the pain in his hips and knees.Although Mac is clearly experiencing pain in these areas, the doctors can find no sign of arthritis or muscular damage.Mac may be experiencing

Accepted Answer

The fact that no physical evidence of arthritis or muscular damage is found suggests that the pain may be psychological in nature. Furthermore, the description of pain in specific areas without any apparent cause fits the criteria for a pain disorder, which falls under the category of somatoform disorders. Munchausen syndrome by proxy and obsessive disorder do not match the description of the symptoms described, and psychosomatic disorder is too general to be a clear choice.

Question 19

When an affected person fakes the medical problems of someone in his or her care in order to gain attention, that person would be diagnosed with

Accepted Answer

This behavior is known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which involves an individual, typically a caregiver, fabricating or inducing symptoms in another person (often a child) in order to gain attention or sympathy for themselves. Munchausen syndrome refers to an individual who fakes their own medical problems for attention, but does not involve falsifying symptoms in another person. Prader-Willi syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability and compulsive overeating, while a conversion disorder involves physical symptoms that cannot be explained by a medical condition.

Question 20

Sarah says that she feels "sick" all the time and has consulted many different doctors regarding her numerous physical complaints.However, no organic cause can be identified for any of these physical complaints.Sarah most likely has

Accepted Answer

Based on the given information, Sarah's physical complaints have no identified organic cause, suggesting a somatization disorder. People with somatization disorder experience multiple physical symptoms for which medical tests reveal no explanatory pathology. Option A, hypochondriasis, involves having persistent fears or beliefs of having a serious illness despite medical reassurance, while option C, a pain disorder, focuses on pain as the primary symptom. Option D, a conversion disorder, is characterized by neurological symptoms that lack an organic explanation.

Quiz 14: Extension C: Psychological Disorders