Question 1

Based on what you know about the biological effects of Prozac, if it did not increase the activity of ____________, it would not be effective in treating depression.

Accepted Answer

A)   norepinephrine
B)   dopamine
C)   acetylcholine
D)   serotonin D

Question 2

A therapist has a client who is a member of a religious minority. The therapist recognizes that the client needs positive ways to experience his or her faith and deal with society's prejudices. It is particularly important that this therapist has a deep understanding of:

Accepted Answer

A)   the client's culture and can adapt their therapy to be more culturally sensitive
B)   group therapy
C)   cognitive-behavioural therapy
D)   cognitive restructuring to help the client assimilate more into mainstream culture A

Question 3

A cognitive therapist would probably find it easiest to work with which of the following clients?

Accepted Answer

A)   Jan, a woman who believes she is being followed by people from another planet
B)   Jordan, a woman who falsely believes that she is the Prime Minister of Canada
C)   Jouma, an extremely self-centred woman who believes that other people are worthless and useless, and that her needs are the only needs that are important
D)   Jamala, a woman who believes she is worthless, and who experiences extreme anxiety because she is not loveable D

Question 4

LaToya, who is depressed, was recruited for a research study in which she will receive either an antidepressant or a placebo. LaToya receives the drug treatment. Compared to people receiving placebo treatment, she will:

Accepted Answer

A)   be equally likely to experience symptom relief
B)   tend to expect symptom relief, and therefore will experience it
C)   be less likely to expect symptom relief, but still receive it nevertheless
D)   be about twice as likely to experience symptom relief, even though her expectancy about relief is the same

Question 5

On which of the following patients would lithium have the most clear and beneficial effect?

Accepted Answer

A)   someone who has extreme bouts of mania and mild depression
B)   someone who has extreme bouts of depression and mild mania
C)   someone who has mild bouts of both depression and mania
D)   someone who has extreme bouts of both depression and mania

Question 6

Jered is suicidal. He has been seriously depressed for about a year, and is saying that he wants to "end it all." He has not responded to typical drug therapies. His psychiatrist believes it is critical to try something that will work as effectively as possible and as quickly as possible. His psychiatrist will probably recommend:

Accepted Answer

A)   electroconvulsive therapy
B)   lithium
C)   a combination of an MAO inhibitor and lithium
D)   up to three antidepressant medications and an antipsychotic

Question 7

Although the technique is not new, ____________ has recently been applied with some success to the treatment of people with schizophrenia.

Accepted Answer

A)   systematic desensitization
B)   cognitive therapy
C)   empathy training
D)   exposure and response prevention

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a category of psychotropic drugs?

Accepted Answer

A)   anti-anxiety drugs
B)   antidepressants
C)   antipsychotics
D)   antisystolics

Question 9

Most therapists agree that personality disorders, like borderline personality disorder:

Accepted Answer

A)   are difficult to treat
B)   respond to drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
C)   are well understood in terms of their causes
D)   tend to go away on their own

Question 10

Jeremy knows that the anxiety he experiences is abnormal. He thinks he may have generalized anxiety disorder. Jeremy does not have a lot of money, is in need of social support, and desires a structured therapy setting. In terms of psychological treatment, the best choice for Jeremy would be:

Accepted Answer

A)   brief psychoanalytic therapy
B)   brief cognitive therapy
C)   brief client-centred therapy
D)   group therapy

Question 11

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (such as Prozac):

Accepted Answer

A)   are ideal drugs for treating severe depression
B)   can cause sexual dysfunction
C)   work for adults, but are usually not effective with children
D)   have been used to effectively treat almost all forms of mental illness

Question 12

One factor important for success in therapy is the relationship between the therapist and the client because a good relationship can help increase the:

Accepted Answer

A)   chance of the therapist and the client becoming friends
B)   expectations of the client that he or she will receive help
C)   transition to not receiving therapy if the therapy is not effective
D)   length of time that the person will stay in therapy

Question 13

Research on relapse in patients with depression compares the effects of placebo treatment to active drug treatment for a year after patients' depression has subsided. This research has shown that:

Accepted Answer

A)   both placebos and active drugs prevent relapse
B)   active drugs prevent relapse better than a placebo
C)   neither drugs nor placebos are needed after depression has subsided, as it tends to "cure itself" after about a year
D)   relapse can only be prevented by behavioural therapy

Question 14

____________ was a strong advocate of the cognitive restructuring approach to therapy, which has been shown to be very effective in treating ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)   Carl Rogers; mild adjustment problems
B)   Erik Erikson; mild adjustment problems
C)   Aaron Beck; depression
D)   Abraham Maslow; depression

Question 15

Phoua has been severely depressed for the last year and has been hospitalized for the past 3 months because she is suicidal and a danger to herself. Many of the "first line" or typical treatments for depression have not been effective for Phoua, including cognitive therapy and drug therapy. Phoua will most likely:

Accepted Answer

A)   be institutionalized
B)   receive electroconvulsive therapy
C)   receive a prefrontal lobotomy
D)   receive a combination of deep brain stimulation and an atypical antipsychotic

Question 16

Motivational interviewing relies on just one or two interviews using a client-centred approach. Research suggests that the success of this treatment is the result of the:

Accepted Answer

A)   ability of hypnosis to act quickly on repressed memories
B)   focus on unwanted behaviour only, and not its causes
C)   focus on the cause of unwanted behaviour only, and not the behaviour itself
D)   warmth and empathy of the therapist toward the client

Question 17

Dr. Prajna treats patients with anxiety and mood disorders. She bases her therapeutic techniques and medication choices on recent scientific literature. She only uses treatments which have been shown to be effective in large, double-blind, controlled clinical trials. She never prescribes a drug or talk therapy for which she does not know the research findings related to its effectiveness. Dr. Prajna's views are similar to those of ____________, who emphasized the use of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)   Carl Rogers; humanistic treatment of subjective experiences
B)   Ray Carroll; an approach he called "rational therapy"
C)   David Barlow; evidence-based treatments
D)   B F Skinner; behaviour-based treatments

Question 18

Dialectical behaviour therapy:

Accepted Answer

A)   initially showed some promise for treating borderline personality disorder but has now been abandoned
B)   appears to work best if first administered on an inpatient basis and then followed by a long outpatient treatment period
C)   is effective only if combined with antipsychotic drugs
D)   is a treatment of last resort because of its cost

Question 19

Sam, a 10-year-old male, has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Which of the following would you expect to see as Sam gets older?

Accepted Answer

A)   He will outgrow this disorder by young adulthood.
B)   He has a high likelihood of having ADHD as a young adult.
C)   His prognosis is very good if he receives early drug treatment.
D)   The prognosis is unclear; long-term studies have not yet been conducted on this disorder.

Question 20

A drug representative who works for the company that makes Prozac has to make a pitch to a group of doctors regarding using Prozac to treat adolescent depression. The most accurate statement the drug representative could make would be:

Accepted Answer

A)   "Yes, Prozac increases suicidal thinking and may increase risk of suicide, but so do other treatments."
B)   "Yes, Prozac increases suicidal thinking and may increase risk of suicide, but the many benefits for individuals and society as a whole generally outweigh the risks."
C)   "Prozac does not increase suicidal thinking or suicide risk, although there are a number of other side effects that are specific to adolescents."
D)   "Prozac does not increase suicidal thinking or suicide risk, and can be recommended as the most effective treatment available for adolescent depression."

Exam 15: Treatment of Psychological Disorders