Chapter 15 Test Questions & Answers Psychological Disorders

OpenStax Psychology 2e Test Bank – Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders

Multiple Choice

1. A psychological disorder is a ________.

A. condition characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

B. condition characterized by normal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

C. medical condition that has identifiable neurological causes.

D. set of situational, idiosyncratic, or unconventional inner feelings

Text Section: 15.1 What Are Psychological Disorders?
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

2. What is meant by the term etiology?

A. the cause of a disorder

B. the different symptoms of a given condition

C. likely future path of an illness

D. frequency with which a given illness occurs

Text Section: 15.1 What Are Psychological Disorders?
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

3. Which classification system is used by most mental health professionals in the United States of America?

A. International Classification of Diseases

B. Determinants of Social Mental Disorders

C. Determining Statistical Manifestation of Disorders

D. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Text Section: 15.2 Diagnosing and Classifying Psychological Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

4. What is comorbidity?

A. co-occurrence of two disorders

B. having two causes for a single disorder

C. having two causes of death

D. mental disorder leading to death

Text Section: 15.2 Diagnosing and Classifying Psychological Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

5. The ________ perspective of psychological disorders attributed symptoms of such ailments to forces that were beyond scientific understanding, such as black magic or evil spirits.

A. supernatural

B. biological

C. diathesis-stress

D. neurological

Text Section: 15.3 Perspectives on Psychological Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Easy

6. The approach to psychology suggesting that psychological disorders may be best explained by looking at genetic factors, chemical imbalances, and brain abnormalities is the ________ perspective.

A. diathesis-stress

B. biological

C. psychodynamic

D. gestalt

Text Section: 15.3 Perspectives on Psychological Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

7. Which of the following is an example of a diathesis-stress model?

A. Ozzie has a genetic predisposition towards depression, but he did not experience depression until his mother and father died.

B. Ozzie treats his depression by exposing himself to a series of stressors so he can learn coping skills.

C. Ozzie treats his manic episodes by using medication to induce depression.

D. Ozzie’s doctor does not believe that mental illness has a biological basis.

Text Section: 15.3 Perspectives on Psychological Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

8. ________ disorders are characterized by excessive, persistent fear and worry that is accompanied by disturbances in behaviors.

A. Anxiety

B. Dissociative

C. Affective

D. Personality

Text Section: 15.4 Anxiety Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

9. Piper is terribly afraid of a number of different situations. She doesn’t like riding on public busses or subways, finds open spaces very intimidating, does not like feeling “lost in a crowd,” and prefers the safe and secure feeling of her own home. If these symptoms cause disruptions in her life, Piper might be diagnosed with ________.

A. agoraphobia

B. acrophobia

C. arachnophobia

D. ophidiophobia

Text Section: 15.4 Anxiety Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

10. Mental or behavioral acts that reduce anxiety in social situations, such as avoiding eye contact or rehearsing sentences before speaking are called ________.

A. obsessions

B. ruminations

C. safety behaviors

D. cognitive restructures

Text Section: 15.4 Anxiety Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

11. People with ________ disorders experience thoughts and urges that are intrusive and unwanted and/or the need to engage in repetitive behaviors or mental acts.

A. stress-related

B. obsessive-compulsive

C. personality

D. phobic

Text Section: 15.5 Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

12. Which of the following is the best example of a compulsion?

A. Will cannot stop thinking about the exam that he has in chemistry tomorrow.

B. Luke is wearing a bandage for longer than needed to make sure his cut is fully healed.

C. Jean wears both sunglasses and a hat to keep the sun out of her eyes.

D. Jordy locks his door exactly nine times every time he leaves the house to make sure it is locked.

Text Section: 15.5 Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

13. Which brain region is believed to play a critical role in the development of symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

A. anterior cortex

B. cingulate cortex

C. orbitofrontal cortex

D. prefrontal cortex

Text Section: 15.5 Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

14. What do obsessive-compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and hoarding disorder have in common?

A. conviction that the patient herself is the cause of many people’s troubles

B. generalized anxiety and specific phobias

C. obsession with the suffering of others

D. repetitive thoughts and urges, as well as an uncontrollable need to engage in repetitive behavior and mental acts

Text Section: 15.5 Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

15. Cordelia, an active duty marine, served in Afghanistan. While she was on patrol with her friend, an IED went off, killing her friend and injuring Cordelia’s left arm. In the two months since her friend died, Cordelia has been jumpy, irritable, avoids talking about her friend, and once every few days experiences a flashback to the explosion. Cordelia is experiencing ________ disorder.

A. panic

B. bipolar

C. posttraumatic stress

D. schizotypal personality

Text Section: 15.6 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

16. According to the textbook, which of these events would have the highest likelihood of causing posttraumatic stress disorder?

A. a fire to one’s home that left no remains

B. being assaulted and robbed of your cash and credit cards

C. surviving a hurricane that destroyed a city

D. reading about the death of dozens of people in a terrible airplane crash

Text Section: 15.6 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

17. Peripartum onset depression is a kind of depression ________.

A. characterized by mood states that vacillate between depression and mania

B. in which an individual experiences mania, characterized by extremely cheerful and euphoric mood, excessive talkativeness, irritability, increased activity levels, and other symptoms

C. in which an individual has a tendency to repetitively and passively dwell on one’s depressed symptoms, their meanings, and their consequences

D. that applies to women who experience major depressive symptoms during or in the four weeks after a pregnancy.

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate

18. Cole spends a few weeks being treated for major depressive disorder. He eventually stops exhibiting symptoms, but a few months later they reoccur. Once again the symptoms dissipate, but a few months later they reoccur. Cole’s major depressive disorder is ________?

A. asymptomatic

B. episodic

C. limited in duration to a few weeks

D. reoccurring every few months

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

19. Janice is in the middle of a distinct period of an abnormally and persistently elevated mood. In the last week she has cleaned her house from top to bottom (breaking windows and dishes in the process), bought a new car that she can’t afford, and dug up most of her yard in case she might want a garden next year. Janice is experiencing a(n) ________ episode.

A. body dysmorphic

B. psychotic

C. manic

D. dissociative

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

20. Apollonia was diagnosed with major depressive disorder five years ago. She knows her mother took medicine to combat depression and she worries her daughter will experience depression too. Why?

A. Apollonia also suffers from social anxiety disorder.

B. Mood disorders are more likely to occur in younger people.

C. Mood disorders have been shown to have a strong genetic and biological basis.

D. People who grow up with a depressed parent usually become depressed themselves.

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

21. Alexis experiences the symptoms of major depressive disorder, but only during the fall and winter months when she gets less direct exposure to sunlight What kind of depression does Alexis have?

A. bipolar

B. peripartum/postpartum

C. persistent depressive

D. seasonal pattern

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

22. Which of the following is an example of hopelessness theory?

A. Rochelle has an expectation that terrible things will happen and there is nothing she can do about it—this leads her to become depressed.

B. Rochelle is depressed, so she thinks terrible things will happen.

C. Rochelle is in an earthquake and many of her friends die, so she becomes depressed.

D. Rochelle stops taking her medication because she does not think medication will help her depression.

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

23. If Laura has bipolar disorder, then she ________.

A. experiences flashbacks interspersed with depression

B. never thinks about the risk that a major depressive episode will follow a manic episode

C. often experiences mood states that vacillate between depression and mania

D. once started a day euphoric and ended the day tired

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

24. Which of the following is not a risk factor for suicide?

A. alcohol dependence

B. history of previous suicide attempts

C. being a fan of violent media (music, television shows, movies, etc.)

D. have access to lethal weapons, such as firearms

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Moderate

25. At the most basic level, schizophrenia is best conceptualized as a(n) ________ disorder.

A. impulse control

B. obsessive-compulsive

C. dissociative

D. psychotic

Text Section: 15.8 Schizophrenia
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Easy

26. Which pair of neurotransmitters has received the most attention as a potential explanation for the symptoms of schizophrenia?

A. gamma-aminobutyric acid and oxytocin

B. norepinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid

C. serotonin and norepinephrine

D. dopamine and serotonin

Text Section: 15.8 Schizophrenia
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

27. Those symptoms that involve noticeable decreases and absences in certain behaviors, emotions, or drives in those afflicted with schizophrenia are called ________ symptoms.

A. absentee

B. invisible

C. negative

D. positive

Text Section: 15.8 Schizophrenia
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

28. Diondre harbors the belief that spider eggs have been implanted underneath his fingernails and that the spiders will hatch inside his skin and will eventually begin to eat his organs. What kind of delusion is this?

A. disorganized

B. grandiose

C. paranoid

D. somatic

Text Section: 15.8 Schizophrenia
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

29. Which of the following is an inaccurate statement about dissociative disorders?

A. People with these disorders become disconnected from their sense of self.

B. People with these disorders exhibit a personality style that differs markedly from the expectations of their culture.

C. People with these disorders experience memory and identity disturbances.

D. These disorders have a psychological rather than a physical cause.

Text Section: 15.9 Dissociative Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

30. Which of the following is a common characteristic of all dissociative disorders?

A. becoming split off, or separated, from one’s core sense of self

B. feeling sad and hopeless over a long period of time

C. memory loss

D. rapidly fluctuating mood

Text Section: 15.9 Dissociative Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

31. Researchers have found that approximately _____ percent of those with dissociative identity disorder were physically and/or sexually abused in childhood, leading to the conclusion that trauma can be a cause of this disorder.

A. 99

B. 95

C. 80

D. 65

Text Section: 15.9 Dissociative Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

32. Fidel suddenly wanders away from his home and experiences confusion about his identity. Fidel may be experiencing dissociative ________.

A. psychosis

B. identity disorder

C. depersonalization

D. fugue

Text Section: 15.9 Dissociative Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

33. Egon can’t pay attention in class. He is easily distracted, won’t sit still, and displays poor impulse control. The school counselor suggested that his parents take him to a doctor to have him assessed for ________.

A. intellectual disability

B. attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

C. autism spectrum disorder

D. schizoid personality disorder

Text Section: 15.10 Disorders in Childhood
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

34. Which of the following exemplifies a symptom of autism spectrum disorder?

A. Gemma exhibits deficits in social interaction by not initiating conversations with other children, and she turns her head away when spoken to.

B. Gemma is quick to anger and is incapable of dealing with a situation in which she is not the center of attention.

C. Gemma is submissive and physically clings to the people around her.

D. Gemma is very impulsive—as soon as an idea enters her head she acts upon it.

Text Section: 15.10 Disorders in Childhood
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Difficult

35. Autism spectrum disorder is marked by all but which of the following categories of symptoms?

A. deficits in communication

B. deficits in social interactions

C. repetitive patterns of behavior or interests

D. severe depressive symptoms

Text Section: 15.10 Disorders in Childhood
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

36. Which of the following is a set of symptoms or behaviors that you might see in a person diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder?

A. instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and mood

B. lack of regard for others’ rights, impulsivity, deceitfulness, irresponsibility, and lack of remorse over misdeeds

C. overinflated and unjustified sense of self-importance

D. pervasive need for perfectionism that interferes with the ability to complete tasks

Text Section: 15.11 Personality Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

37. Nathan has an overinflated and unjustified sense of self-importance. He is preoccupied with fantasies of success and believes that he is entitled to special treatment from others. Nathan appears to suffer from ________ personality disorder.

A. borderline

B. histrionic

C. narcissistic

D. schizotypal

Text Section: 15.11 Personality Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

38. Phyllis cannot be alone. Her moods and behaviors are unstable, as are her relationships with other people. She often displays inappropriate and intense anger. Recently, Phyllis wrote a suicide note and offered to show it to her husband. Which of the following diagnoses accounts for her personality?

A. antisocial personality disorder

B. avoidant personality disorder

C. borderline personality disorder

D. schizotypal personality disorder

Text Section: 15.11 Personality Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

39. Nicole is socially inhibited and oversensitive to negative evaluation. She was thinking about a career in nursing, but she changed her mind because she believes the doctors would criticize her and patients would reject her. She has never been on a date because she feels socially inept and unappealing; she avoids meeting new people because anything less than immediate, unconditional acceptance causes her anxiety. Just yesterday she was invited to go on a kayak trip, but she didn’t go because she was worried she would embarrass herself. Which of the following diagnoses accounts for Nicole’s personality?

A. avoidant personality disorder

B. dependent personality disorder

C. obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

D. schizotypal personality disorder

Text Section: 15.11 Personality Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Easy

40. Jeff is an unforgiving perfectionist who would rather deliver work a week late than turn in a project with even minor mistakes. In fact, he spends so much time working that he never has time for anything else. Jeff is known to be rigid, inflexible, and stubborn, and he never compromises. Which of the following diagnoses accounts for Jeff’s personality?

A. histrionic personality disorder

B. narcissistic personality disorder

C. obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

D. schizoid personality disorder

Text Section: 15.11 Personality Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

Short Answer

41. What does DSM stand for?

Answer; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (of Mental Disorders)

Text Section: 15.2 Diagnosing and Classifying Psychological Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

42. Lindsay has been fighting her unrealistic and irrational fear of trucks for her entire life. She is able to ride any other type of vehicle – a car, a bicycle, even a helicopter – but she is terrified of getting into any form of truck and refuses to do so. Diagnostically this would be categorized as a(n) ________ phobia.

Text Section: 15.4 Anxiety Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

43. What is the primary difference between acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder?

Text Section: 15.6 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

44. A person suffering from a(n) ________ will have a sensory and perceptual experience in the absence of any real stimulus in their environment.

Text Section: 15.8 Schizophrenia
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

45. John survived an earthquake, but now he feels detached from himself, as if he is watching his life on television, and the world feels artificial and unreal. He often describes this as being an “out of body” experience. What is wrong with John?

Text Section: 15.9 Dissociative Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Apply
Difficulty: Moderate

46. Identify two neurodevelopmental disorders.

Text Section: 15.10 Disorders in Childhood
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Easy

47. Discuss the features that are common to the different personality disorders found in the DSM-5.

Text Section: 15.11 Personality Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Difficult

Essay

48. Summarize Szasz’s approach to psychological disorders and explain why you agree or disagree with his approach.

Text Section: 15.1 What Are Psychological Disorders?

Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

49. How can you distinguish depression from ordinary feelings of sadness?

Text Section: 15.7 Mood Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Understand
Difficulty: Difficult

50. What are the characteristics of borderline personality disorder?

Text Section: 15.11 Personality Disorders
Bloom’s Level: Remember
Difficulty: Moderate