14 & 15

Question 1

Explain three positive factors that support having diagnostic categories or giving patients a diagnosis.

Answer 1

• facilitates communication among practitioners and researchers (standardization)
• the key to further knowledge in terms of treatment and prevention
• allows for psychoeducation leading to more personal knowledge for sufferers of mental disorders as well as reducing feelings of isolation and uncontrollability

Question 2

what is a panic attack? When is it adaptive and when is it maladaptive?

Answer 2

• discrete period of intense fear or discomfort
• at least 4 panic symptoms (heart racing, sweating, shaking, choking, nausea, dizziness, etc…)
• develop abruptly and reach a peak within 10 minutes
• adaptive when there is some present danger in the environment that you must confront,
• maladaptive when occur in absence of some threatening stimuli, i.e., they occur out of the blue, or are unexpected or uncued.

Question 3

Give examples of some common phobias and provide an explanation for why they are so much more prevalent than other phobias.

Answer 3

• snakes, spiders, dogs, heights, water, blood
• likely more common due to Biological Preparedness or a genetic predisposition to fear certain stimuli over others
• Most of the common phobias involve things that were traditionally very deadly to our ancestors and thus it was evolutionarily adaptive to have a strong fear response for these ancient dangers.

Question 4

What is the difference between Bipolar I and Bipolar II disorders?

Answer 4

Bipolar I: one or more Manic or Mixed episodes
- usually accompanied by Depressive episodes
Bipolar II: is Depressive episodes
- accompanied by hypomania

Question 5

What is Somatization Disorder?

Answer 5

a history of many physical complaints that result in treatment being sought that cannot be explained by a medical condition and are not intentionally produced

Question 6

What are the two types of Eating Disorders recognized by the DSM-IV?

Answer 6

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

Question 7

What are the four classification categories of Schizophrenia?

Answer 7

Paranoid, Catatonic, Disorganized, and Undifferentiated

Question 8

List three types of Insight-Oriented therapy.

Answer 8

Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Gestalt, Emotion Focused, or Process Experiential

Question 9

What are the three main categories of psychopharmacological drugs?

Answer 9

Anti-Depressant, Anti-Anxiety, and Anti-Psychotic

Question 10

List six advantages of group therapy

Answer 10

1) Efficiency 2) Universality
3) Empathy 4) Interaction
5) Acceptance 6) Altruism
7) Modeling 8) Pressure
9) Practice 10) Reality Testing

Question 11

Describe three warning signs that signal a risk for suicide

Answer 11

• giving away valued possessions
• writing or talking a lot about death
• withdrawal from family and friends (social isolation)

Question 12

List the areas covered by each of the 5 axes of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - fourth edition (DSM-IV)

Answer 12

Axis I: all mental disorders (except)
Axis II: personality disorders and mental retardation
Axis III: physical/medical disorders
Axis IV: psychosocial and environmental problems
Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (1-100)

Question 13

How does Panic Disorder contribute to the development of Agoraphobia?

Answer 13

• recurrent panic attacks cause distress associated with high risk places like malls, restaurants, theatres, and other public places.
• As the fear of having a panic attack increases a person may become more and more anxious about going out to public places ‘till eventually the person does not want to go out at all for fear of having a panic attack in a place or situation where escape is difficult or embarrassing.

Question 14

What is Social Phobia and what fear is thought to be at the root of the disorder?

Answer 14

• social phobia is a marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations, particularly situations that involve exposure to unfamiliar people or to possible evaluation by others.
• the underlying fear is thought to be a fear that one will do something stupid or humiliating and that others will negatively evaluate the person leading to rejection, loneliness and unhappiness.

Question 15

What are the four types of Mood Episodes found in Mood Disorders?

Answer 15

Major Depressive Episode, Manic Episode, Hypomanic Episode, Mixed Episode

Question 16

What is Hypochondriasis?

Answer 16

a preoccupation with the belief that one has a serious disease despite medical evaluation and assurance to the contrary, and the person is not delusional

Question 17

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – IV, what are the two types of Anorexia Nervosa?

Answer 17

Restricting Type and Binge-Purging Type

Question 18

Regarding the mental disorder Schizophrenia, what type of symptoms are delusions and hallucinations?

Answer 18

• positive symptoms

Question 19

List three techniques in Rogers’ Client-Centered Therapy that are necessary for a good therapeutic climate.

Answer 19

Genuineness, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Empathy

Question 20

List three types of anti-depressant medication.

Answer 20

Tricyclic anti-depressants
Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) inhibitors
Selective Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors

Question 21

Describe three factors that are common to all types of psychotherapy.

Answer 21

• acquisition and practice of new behaviors and ways to respond to the world
• beneficial therapist qualities (objective, confident, professional)
• positive expectations and hope

Question 22

List three predisposing conditions (diatheses) that can be risk factors for suicide

Answer 22

• past attempts
• substance abuse
• family history of suicide

Question 23

What is the difference between fear and anxiety?

Answer 23

fear: is a present-oriented emotional alarm reaction to danger that is immediately present
- It manifests itself in the emergency “fight or flight” reaction that readies the individual for immediate action
Anxiety: is a negative mood state that focuses on future problems
- the feeling that one cannot predict or control upcoming events. It is not based on present danger .

Question 24

List the 5 different categories of Specific Phobias and provide an example for each.

Answer 24

• Animal: e.g., fear of spiders, snakes, dogs, etc…
• Natural environment: e.g., heights, water, etc…
• Blood-injection-injury Type: e.g., faint from a needle, or seeing blood
• Situational: e.g., planes, elevators, driving, etc…
• Other: e.g., choking, vomiting, etc…

Question 25

What is Dysthymic Disorder?

Answer 25

a less severe form of Major Depressive Disorder where the symptoms are milder but remain unchanged over long periods of time (at least 2 years)

Question 26

What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?

Answer 26

- a preoccupation with an imagined defect in appearance, or if a slight physical anomaly is present, the concern is excessive and unrealistically exaggerated - the disorder causes significant distress and/or impairment to functioning

Question 27

List two genetic predisposing factors that may contribute to an Eating Disorder.

Answer 27

obesity family history of disordered eating, alcohol problems, or depression

Question 28

List two types of Action-Oriented psychotherapy

Answer 28

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Rational-Emotive Therapy

Question 29

Describe the ABC’s of Rational Emotive Therapy using specific examples

Answer 29

A = activating event: getting a bad mark on a test B = belief: I am stupid, I am a failure, etc… C = consequences (emotional): sadness, feelings of inferiority, hopelessness, helplessness, etc… D = disputing beliefs: everyone gets some bad marks, I am good at other things, I just need to study harder, I can learn from my mistakes, etc…

Question 30

List three stressors that can be risk factors for suicide.

Answer 30

Significant loss (friend, loved one, divorce) Homosexuality Recent suicide by friend or loved one, or someone famous

Question 31

List and explain 4 reasons why a diagnosis can be a negative thing

Answer 31

1. diagnosis is often unreliable where two doctors can give the same person a different diagnosis 2. many questions about the validity of many diagnostic categories as some diagnoses are vague and arbitrary and many categories have a lot of overlap 3. a diagnosis can overlook the uniqueness of the person the doctor can treat the disorder, rather than the actual person suffering from the disorder 4. there is still a great deal of stimgatization involved in mental illness and having a diagnostic label can be a source of shame and humiliation (or perceived as such)

Question 32

List three techniques in Rogers’ Client-Centered Therapy that are necessary for a good therapeutic climate.

Answer 32

Genuineness, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Empathy

Question 33

Explain “Eclecticism” with regards to the treatment of psychological disorders

Answer 33

- using different treatments for different clients with different problems - or using a reasonable combination or various treatments for the same client (technical eclecticism)

Question 34

With regards to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, define Obsessions and Compulsions and provide and example for each

Answer 34

Obsessions: persistent and intrusive thoughts, impulses, and images that are inappropriate and cause marked distress, e.g., I will get cancer, Mom will be in a car crash, something bad is going to happen Compulsions: repetitive behaviors or mental acts often performed to prevent or reduce anxiety and distress, but not to provide pleasure or gratification, e.g., constant hand washing, ritual checking, counting or having to perform rituals a certain number of times

Question 35

What is Conversion Disorder?

Answer 35

one or more symptoms or deficits affecting voluntary motor or sensory function that suggest a neurological or general medical condition, although no medical condition is present and the symptoms are not intentionally produced.

Question 36

What symptom of Schizophrenia would include hearing voices?

Answer 36

hallucinations

Question 37

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – IV, what are the two types of Bulimia Nervosa?

Answer 37

- Purging Type and Non-Purging Type

Question 38

What is Cyclothymic Disorder?

Answer 38

a less severe form of Bipolar II Disorder where the symptoms of hypomania and depression are milder but remain unchanged over long periods of time (at least 2 years)

Question 39

Describe 3 Sociocultural predisposing factors to developing an eating disorder?

Answer 39

- Changing roles for women who are being asked to work and have families - The glorification of eating disorders as seen in the prevalence of EDs in the rich and famous and the emergence of websites encouraging EDs - Prejudice against obesity and being overweight in our society that seems socially sanctioned i.e., making fat jokes is not politically incorrect or is socially accepted