Psychology Degree Psychological Disorders and Diagnosis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect, along with marked impulsivity?
- Histrionic Personality Disorder
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder (Correct answer)
- Antisocial Personality Disorder
Correct answer: Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder features unstable relationships, identity disturbance, impulsivity, and intense emotional dysregulation.
Question 2: A child refuses to speak in school but communicates normally at home. This presentation is most consistent with:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Selective Mutism (Correct answer)
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
Correct answer: Selective Mutism
Selective Mutism involves consistent failure to speak in specific social situations (e.g., school) despite speaking in other contexts (e.g., home).
Question 3: Which neurotransmitter system is most centrally implicated in the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?
- Serotonin excess in the limbic system
- Dopamine hyperactivity in mesolimbic pathways (Correct answer)
- GABA deficit in the prefrontal cortex
- Norepinephrine depletion in the locus coeruleus
Correct answer: Dopamine hyperactivity in mesolimbic pathways
The dopamine hypothesis posits that excess dopamine activity in mesolimbic pathways underlies the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
Question 4: Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) was formerly known in the DSM as:
- Multiple Personality Disorder (Correct answer)
- Dissociative Fugue
- Depersonalization Disorder
- Psychogenic Amnesia
Correct answer: Multiple Personality Disorder
DID was renamed from Multiple Personality Disorder in the DSM-IV to better reflect current understanding of identity disruption rather than separate personalities.
Question 5: In the DSM-5, which disorder requires the presence of recurrent, unexpected panic attacks plus at least one month of persistent concern or behavioral change related to the attacks?
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder (Correct answer)
- Agoraphobia
- Acute Stress Disorder
Correct answer: Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder is diagnosed when unexpected panic attacks are followed by at least one month of concern about future attacks or maladaptive behavior changes.
Question 6: Which condition involves intentionally producing or feigning physical or psychological symptoms to assume the sick role, with no external incentives?
- Malingering
- Somatic Symptom Disorder
- Factitious Disorder (Correct answer)
- Conversion Disorder
Correct answer: Factitious Disorder
Factitious Disorder involves deliberately producing symptoms to adopt a patient role without external rewards such as financial gain or avoiding duties.
Question 7: The specifier 'with catatonia' in the DSM-5 can be applied to which of the following?
- Only schizophrenia spectrum disorders
- Only mood disorders
- Both psychotic disorders and mood disorders (Correct answer)
- Only neurodevelopmental disorders
Correct answer: Both psychotic disorders and mood disorders
The catatonia specifier in DSM-5 can be applied across multiple disorder categories, including schizophrenia spectrum, mood, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Psychology Degree Psychological Disorders and Diagnosis 3
Which personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect, along with marked impulsivity?