Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders

Practice Problems (Correct answers are highlighted in yellow and indicated by an “*”)

1. Claudia has felt a sense of sadness for the past couple of years. She seems to function well enough
in her daily life, but she always feels glum.

Which disorder does Claudia most likely have?

A) Major depressive disorder

B) Dysthymia
C) Cyclothymia
D) Bipolar II disorder

2. Lorenzo’s mother died about a year ago. Since then, he has not found any satisfaction in his hobbies,
spends most nights lying awake in bed, and has lost nearly 10 pounds.

Which disorder does Lorenzo most likely have?

A) Major depressive disorder

B) Dysthymia
C) Cyclothymia
D) Bipolar II disorder

3. Match each symptom with the correct label for that symptom.

Symptom A:

“People from the Central Intelligence Agency are following me; they are out to get me. You and I will
need to talk in the elevator so they can’t listen in on our conversation.”

Symptom B:

“Look at my arms, the bugs keep crawling on my skin; I wipe them off, but they keep coming back.”

A) Both symptoms are delusion.

B) Both symptoms are hallucination.
C) Symptom A is delusion; symptom B is hallucination.
D) Symptom A is hallucination; symptom B is delusion.

4. What kind of delusion is this?

“People from the Central Intelligence Agency are following me; they are out to get me. You and I will
need to talk in the elevator so they can’t listen in on our conversation.”
 A) Delusion of reference
B) Delusion of control
C) Delusion of persecution
D) Delusion of identity

5. What personality disorder is this?

A) Schizoid
B) Schizotypal
6. What personality disorder is this?

A) Schizoid
B) Schizotypal

7. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

 Homer, who seems eccentric, never shows much emotion. He does not have any close personal
relationships and does not seek interactions with people.

A) Paranoid
B) Schizoid
C) Schizotypal

8. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

Russel trusts no one and incorrectly believes other people want to harm him or spoil his plans. He is
sure his wife is having an affair. He no longer confides in friends for fear that the information will be
used against him. He dwells for hours on harmless comments by coworkers.

A) Paranoid
B) Schizoid
C) Schizotypal

9. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

John is socially withdrawn and very reluctant to talk to anyone, not to mention a therapist. His
reluctance and mistrust of others seem to be unlimited. John gives the impression that everyone is
out to get him. He dresses himself in a way that his acquaintances can’t recognize him on the
streets.

A) Schizotypal
B) Schizoid
C) Paranoid

10. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

Mohammed is nineteen and has been in trouble with the law since he was fourteen. He lies to his
parents, vandalizes buildings in his community, and, when caught, shows no remorse. He frequently
fights with others and doesn’t care whom he injures.

A) Histrionic
B) Antisocial
C) Narcissistic
D) Schizotypal

11. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

Nick is involved in drugs and has casual sexual encounters. He feels empty unless he does dangerous
and exciting things. He threatens to commit suicide if his girlfriend suggests getting help or if she
 talks about leaving him. He alternates between loving her and hating her. He has low self-esteem
and has recently experienced high levels of stress.

A) Obsessive-compulsive
B) Borderline
C) Schizotypal
D) Avoidant

12. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

The therapist immediately notices that Milagros displays extreme emotional behavior a great deal
when she speaks, so much so that she seems to be acting.

A) Borderline
B) Schizotypal
C) Obsessive-compulsive
D) Histrionic

13. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

Susan was brought in by her parents because they found her uncontrollable. She had been stealing
from her parents and friends, and she’s so impulsive her parents don’t know what she might try
next. Some people call her a “psychopath.”

A) Borderline
B) Antisocial
C) Obsessive-compulsive
D) Histrionic

14. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

Jaikumar is especially anxious at even the thought of social interactions. He reacts excessively to
criticism, which only feeds his pervasive feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

A) Schizoid
B) Dependent
C) Avoidant
D) Paranoid

15. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

Katherine thinks she is the best candidate for any job, thinks her performance is always excellent,
and looks for admiration from others.

A) Histrionic
B) Narcissistic
C) Obsessive-compulsive
D) Schizoid
16. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

Manon is afraid to be alone and seeks constant reassurance from her family. She won’t make any
decisions or do things on her own. She will not take a course if her friends are not taking it. She
thinks that if she shows any resolve or initiative, she will have to take care of herself.

A) Dependent
B) Avoidant
C) Obsessive-compulsive
D) Schizoid

17. What personality disorder is this?

 A) Dependent
B) Paranoid
C) Avoidant
D) Schizoid

18. What personality disorder is this person displaying?

The therapist discovers that Filipe has yet to fill out the information form, although he was given at
least 15 minutes. Filipe says he first had to re-sharpen the pencil, then clean it of debris, then he
noticed that the pencil sharpener wasn’t very clean. The paper also wasn’t properly placed on the
clipboard.

A) Dependent
B) Narcissistic
C) Obsessive-compulsive
D) Schizoid

19. A 26-year-old woman comes to see a psychiatrist because she has been taking showers for 6 to 7
hours every day. She explains, “It all starts when I wake up. I am sure I am covered in germs, and if I
don’t wash, I will get sick. If I don’t wash, I get paralyzed with anxiety. My skin is cracking and
bleeding because I spend so much time in the water.”

Which of the following conditions does this patient most likely have?

A) Obsessive compulsive personality disorder

B) Obsessive compulsive disorder

20. A 36-year-old man has trouble making timely decisions and is often late with important work. He has
put in anywhere from 10 to 12 hours of work per day. He admits that he often misses deadlines but
claims that “they are unreasonable deadlines for the quality of work that I provide.” He points out
that his office is always perfectly neat, and he says, “I know where every dollar I ever spent went.”

Which of the following conditions does this patient most likely have?

A) Obsessive compulsive personality disorder

B) Obsessive compulsive disorder

21. Harlow is hypervigilant, constantly on the lookout for many different problems. He often has trouble
sleeping and experiences constant fatigue.

Which disorder does Harlow most likely have?

 A) Generalized anxiety disorder
B) Panic attack
C) Phobia
D) Obsessive-compulsive disorder

22. Patients with ____ personality disorder have excessive emotionality, whereas patients with ____
personality disorder are lack of emotionality.
A) histrionic, schizoid
B) paranoid, borderline
C) borderline, paranoid
D) narcissistic, histrionic

23. Patients with ____ personality disorder seek attention, whereas patients with ____ personality
disorder avoids attention.
A) schizotypal, schizoid
B) antisocial, paranoid
C) narcissistic, histrionic
D) histrionic, avoidant

24. Patients with ____ personality disorder avoid social relationship, whereas patients with _____
personality disorder fear of loneliness.
A) schizoid, histrionic
B) borderline, avoidant
C) schizoid, borderline
D) borderline, schizotypal

25. Fiona has developed several distinct personalities that contrast each other.

Gordie is a convenience store clerk in Halifax, NS, with no memory of his life as a waiter in London,
ON, several years ago.

Heather has forgotten major portions of a period of her life during which she experienced serious
trauma.

Which individual’s disorder is CORRECTLY identified below?

A) Fiona—dissociative fugue
B) Heather—dissociative amnesia
C) Heather—dissociative dementia
D) Gordie—dissociative identity disorder
26. True or False?

Believing that you are Jesus Christ is a hallucination.

A) True
B) False

27. True or False?

Hearing voices that other people fail to hear is a delusion.

A) True
B) False

28. True or False?

Psychotic disorder is characterized by loss of contact with reality.

A) True
B) False

29. True or False?

Severe amnesia in dissociative identity disorder is caused by impairment in the brain.

A) True
B) False

30. Disorganized speech or behavior is a _____ symptom of schizophrenia.

A) Positive
B) Negative

31. Dysthymia is a ______ form of ______ mood disorder.

A) mild; unipolar
B) mild; bipolar
C) severe; unipolar
D) severe; bipolar

32. Cyclothymia is a ______ form of ______ mood disorder.

A) mild; unipolar
B) mild; bipolar
C) severe; unipolar
D) severe; bipolar
33. You would most likely be diagnosed with ________ if you displayed these symptoms: mood and
sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, poor appetite, weight loss, lack of motivation in doing
things that you usually enjoy, and thoughts of suicide over the last few months.
A) posttraumatic stress disorder
B) major depressive disorder
C) persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)
D) bipolar I disorder

34. Psychotic disorder is characterized as _____.

A) loss of contact with reality
B) dissociation
C) unpredictability
D) persistent flashbacks

35. Schizophrenia is a form of _____ disorder.

A) psychotic
B) dissociative
C) anxiety
D) personality

36. DSM stands for _____.

A) Diagnosis and Symptomology Manual
B) Dysfunction and Symptomology Manual
C) Diagnostic and Systematic-Classification of Mental Disorders
D) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

37. The following are screenshots from a video that you saw during lecture. In this video, a woman has a
panic attack when she is sitting in the passenger seat of a car. This incident will very likely lead to a
condition called ______.
 A) Generalized anxiety disorder
B) Social phobia
C) PTSD
D) Agoraphobia

38. A person with _______ personality disorder is called a “psychopath.”

A) narcissistic
B) histrionic
C) antisocial
D) borderline

39. A 36-year-old man comes to a physician’s office with the chief complaint that “people are out to
hurt me.” Despite being reassured by his wife that this is untrue, the patient is convinced that
people are observing him at home and at work, using telescopic lenses and taping devices. He has
torn apart his office on more than one occasion looking for “bugs.”

What is the most likely diagnosis?

 A) Schizophrenia
B) Schizotypal personality disorder
C) Schizoid personality disorder
D) Paranoid personality disorder

40. A 56-year-old man was doing well in his job as a security guard in the night shift until he was placed
in the day shift. His previous position allowed him to work on his own the vast majority of time, but
his new position required him to constantly interact with coworkers, clients, supervisors, and the
general public. The man was referred to a psychiatrist because he failed to perform his duties at
work. The patient says that he has almost no friends, except for a cousin that he has been close to
since childhood. He reports that he has never had a significant romantic relationship or sexual
encounter, but he does not feel bad about not having had these experiences or not having friends.
He states that he most enjoys spending hours surfing the internet, collecting stamps, or playing
computer games by himself. When talking to his psychiatrist, he appears notably detached and
exhibits little eye contact. He appears calm and his emotional range is flat. His mood is reported as
“stressed,” but his affect is not congruent with this.

What is the most likely diagnosis?

A) Major depressive disorder

B) Avoidant personality disorder
C) Schizoid personality disorder
D) Schizotypal personality disorder

41. A 23-year-old woman lacerates her wrists after her therapist left for a week’s vacation. The patient
says that she is angry with her psychiatrist for “abandoning her.” This is the fourth time the patient
performs a self-destructing act, every time it is precipitated by someone in her life leaving, even
temporarily.

What is the most likely diagnosis?

A) Mood disorder—manic episode

B) Mood disorder—major depressive episode
C) Mood disorder—mixed episode
D) Borderline personality disorder

42. A 22-year-old woman states that 2 weeks ago, while in class, she was called on by the teacher and
gave the wrong answer. She says that she felt humiliated and has not gone back to the classroom
since then. She describes a lifelong history of being painfully shy. She admits that she would like to
have a boyfriend but is afraid to meet anyone because, “he’ll find someone better and dump me.”
She describes herself as “socially retarded” and avoid going out with anyone new.

What personality disorder does this patient have?

 A) Borderline
B) Dependent
C) Avoidant
D) Paranoid

43. A 32-year-old man is overly reliant on his mother for major decisions. He has lived at home with his
mother his entire life except for one semester away at college. He returned home at the end of the
semester because he was homesick, and he never went back to college again. He has difficulty
expressing disagreement with his mother because he is afraid that she will not support him. He
works for an accounting firm in an entry-level position even though he has been there for several
years. He says that he has turned down promotions in the past because he knows that he “couldn’t
possibly supervise anyone or make decisions for them.” The patient has two close childhood friends
whom he talks to on the phone nearly every day and says he “feels lost without them.”

What personality disorder does this patient most likely have?

A) Avoidant
B) Dependent
C) Schizoid
D) Borderline