Counseling Psychopathology and Diagnosis (DSM-5-TR) 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which personality disorder belongs to Cluster B?
- Schizotypal
- Avoidant
- Histrionic (Correct answer)
- Obsessive-compulsive
Correct answer: Histrionic
Cluster B (dramatic, emotional, erratic) includes antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders.
Question 2: A diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder requires the person to be at least 18 and to show evidence of:
- Conduct disorder with onset before age 15 (Correct answer)
- Oppositional defiant disorder before age 10
- A prior criminal conviction
- Substance use before age 18
Correct answer: Conduct disorder with onset before age 15
DSM-5-TR requires evidence of conduct disorder that began before age 15.
Question 3: To diagnose ADHD in a 25-year-old, several inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms must have been present before what age?
Correct answer: 12
DSM-5 raised the age of onset from 7 to 12, and adults 17 or older need only 5 symptoms in a domain.
Question 4: Autism spectrum disorder 'Level 3' severity means the person is:
- Requiring support
- Requiring substantial support
- Requiring very substantial support (Correct answer)
- In full remission
Correct answer: Requiring very substantial support
ASD severity is rated separately for social communication and restricted/repetitive behaviors, and Level 3 is the highest level of support needed.
Question 5: Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder should not be diagnosed for the first time before age 6 or after age:
- 10
- 12
- 16
- 18 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 18
DMDD is first diagnosed between ages 6 and 18, and symptoms must begin before age 10.
Question 6: In DSM-5-TR, the severity level of intellectual developmental disorder is determined mainly by:
- Full-scale IQ score
- Adaptive functioning (Correct answer)
- Age of onset
- Presence of a genetic syndrome
Correct answer: Adaptive functioning
Severity is based on adaptive functioning in the conceptual, social, and practical domains, not on IQ alone.
Question 7: A client reports unstable relationships, frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, recurrent self-harm, and chronic feelings of emptiness. Which diagnosis is most likely?
- Histrionic personality disorder
- Dependent personality disorder
- Borderline personality disorder (Correct answer)
- Narcissistic personality disorder
Correct answer: Borderline personality disorder
Fear of abandonment, self-harm, and chronic emptiness are core criteria for borderline personality disorder.
