Question 1

What is one advantage of using statistics to define normality?

Accepted Answer

A)  Statistics show a clear distinction between what is normal and what is not. 
B)  Statistics avoid the stigmas associated with labels. 
C)  Mental disorders are best defined by deviations from an average. 
D)  Statistical descriptions of disorders permit more objective definitions.

Question 2

Which of the following does the text indicate as the reason that the term neurosis was dropped from the DSM-III and the DSM-IV?

Accepted Answer

A)  The term neurosis was too Freudian a concept. 
B)  The term neurosis was too imprecise a concept. 
C)  The term neurosis reduced the diagnostic validity of the classification system. 
D)  The lay public incorrectly associated the term neurosis with anxiety.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of "going amok"?

Accepted Answer

A)  A Native American, possessed by spirits, begins wailing and throwing himself at a wall. 
B)  In Ukraine, a woman in a religious trance races into the streets screaming obscenities. 
C)  In Japan, a man suddenly develops a fear that his penis will withdraw into his body. 
D)  In the Philippines, a brooding man suddenly goes on a murderous rampage.

Question 4

According to your textbook,the four general categories of risk factors that contribute to development of psychopathology include

Accepted Answer

A)  biological factors, neurological factors, genetic factors, and environmental factors. 
B)  endogenous factors, exogenous factors, genetic factors, and cultural factors. 
C)  social factors, family factors, psychological factors, and biological factors. 
D)  genetic factors, family factors, cultural factors, historical factors.

Question 5

Marian has recently cut off most of her hair,is hearing voices,talking strangely,and believes that she is getting coded messages from the radio.Marian is most likely experiencing a

Accepted Answer

A)  psychosis. 
B)  neurosis. 
C)  nervous breakdown. 
D)  paraphilia.

Question 6

On which of the following do most people score near the middle of the score range with very few having extremely high or low scores?

Accepted Answer

A)  normal or bell-shaped curve 
B)  skewed deviation curve 
C)  U-shaped curve 
D)  scatter plot

Question 7

Descriptions of disorders in the DSM-IV-TR

Accepted Answer

A)  can be found for all forms of culture-bound syndromes. 
B)  are derived from survey responses from board-certified clinicians in North America and Europe. 
C)  are based on empirical data and clinical observations. 
D)  are intentionally vague so that all known disorders can be categorized.

Question 8

Brain images from psychotic patients exhibiting a flat affect reveal that

Accepted Answer

A)  their facial muscles are physically paralyzed. 
B)  their brains are processing emotions abnormally. 
C)  they have experienced a small stroke due to their hyperemotionality. 
D)  their blood pressure and heart rate are abnormally slowed due to parasympathetic rebound.

Question 9

Gabriel's speech tends to be so garbled and chaotic that it sometimes sounds like a "word salad," and she is having problems with thinking,memory,and attention with her emotions ranging from hyperemotional to a flat affect.Gabriel is most likely exhibiting a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  anxiety attack. 
B)  nervous breakdown. 
C)  psychosis. 
D)  neurosis.

Question 10

Tiana has been experiencing sexual and sleep disturbances,emotional outbursts,delirium,and withdrawal symptoms due to her abuse of amphetamines in trying to lose weight.Tiana would be diagnosed with a(n)__________ disorder.

Accepted Answer

A)  anxiety 
B)  substance-related 
C)  mood 
D)  anorexic

Question 11

What percentage of American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year?

Accepted Answer

A)  five percent 
B)  10 percent 
C)  25 percent 
D)  40 percent

Question 12

The primary characteristic of psychotic behavior is

Accepted Answer

A)  being dangerous to oneself or others. 
B)  subjective discomfort. 
C)  an inability to take care of oneself. 
D)  a loss of contact with shared views of reality.

Question 13

If you are experiencing episodes of depersonalization,you are most likely suffering from a

Accepted Answer

A)  paraphilia. 
B)  borderline personality disorder. 
C)  conversion disorder. 
D)  dissociative disorder.

Question 14

A psychosis based on known brain pathology or damage (as would be the case in lead poisoning)is a(n)__________ psychosis.

Accepted Answer

A)  dementia 
B)  functional 
C)  organic 
D)  neural

Question 15

A person is considered to have a substance-related disorder if he or she is dependent on

Accepted Answer

A)  cocaine. 
B)  marijuana. 
C)  nicotine. 
D)  any of these.

Question 16

In 2006,approximately how many Americans committed suicide?

Accepted Answer

A)  10,000 
B)  23,000 
C)  33,300 
D)  55,600

Question 17

Major features of psychotic disorders include

Accepted Answer

A)  anxieties, dissociations, obsessions, and compulsions. 
B)  deceptive behavior and absence of conscience. 
C)  delusions, hallucinations, and disturbances of emotion, communication, and personality. 
D)  low intelligence, phobias, social nonconformance, and violence.

Question 18

You feel sad and hopeless; or you talk to loud and too fast and have a rush of ideas and feelings that others think are unreasonable.If you showed either set of symptoms,you would most likely be diagnosed with some form of __________ disorder.

Accepted Answer

A)  somatoform 
B)  anxiety 
C)  mood 
D)  dissociative

Question 19

According to the textbook,abnormal behavior that is indicative of the person requiring psychological help is defined by the core feature of

Accepted Answer

A)  being maladaptive. 
B)  being statistically rare. 
C)  involving subjective discomfort. 
D)  being outside the realm of cultural relativity.

Question 20

A person whose immoral behavior harms others,but who feels no remorse for such harmful behavior,would NOT be regarded as abnormal if the criterion used was

Accepted Answer

A)  statistical abnormality. 
B)  social nonconformity. 
C)  maladaptive behavior. 
D)  subjective discomfort.

Exam 14: A: Psychological Disorders