Psychological Disorders Flashcards
The memorization-heavy content of MCAT-relevant psych disorders is well-suited for flashcards. Use these cards to get this content down!
How many categories of psychological disorders are listed in the DSM-V?
20
You do not need to memorize all of these categories! However, some are more likely to appear on the MCAT than others. Categories that are tested relatively often include:
- Personality disorders
- Somatic symptom and related disorders
- Dissociative disorders
- Bipolar and related disorders
- Depressive disorders
- Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
- Anxiety disorders
Which of the following is not a category of psychological disorder in the DSM-V?
- Dissociative disorders
- Linguistic disorders
- Personality disorders
“Linguistic disorders” is not a DSM-V category.
However, dissociative disorders and personality disorders are both categories in the DSM-V.
Which of the following is not a category of psychological disorder in the DSM-V?
- Personality disorders
- Depressive disorders
- Hypochondriac disorders
“Hypochondriac disorders” is not a DSM-V category.
(Hypochondria is the former name for somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder, two conditions currently categorized as somatoform disorders.)
Personality disorders and depressive disorders are both categories in the DSM-V.
Which of the following is not a category of psychological disorder in the DSM-V?
- Somatic symptom and related disorders
- Bipolar and related disorders
- Parkinson’s disease and related disorders
“Parkinson’s disease and related disorders” is not a DSM-V category.
Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder, not a psychological disorder. The other two options listed on the front of this card are categories in the DSM-5.
Approximately ______ of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness.
Approximately 25% of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness.
___________ are characterized by excessive amounts of fear (phobias) or worry.
Anxiety disorders
These include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
A medical student interviews a patient who washes his hands up to 100 times a day. The patient states that he feels tremendous anxiety when he cannot wash his hands. This patient most likely has:
obsessive-compulsive disorder.
This disorder is characterized by obsessive, recurring thoughts. These thoughts are commonly accompanied by physical or verbal rituals or compulsions.
PTSD is an example of what type of psychological disorder?
A trauma/stressor-related disorder
These are characterized by anxiety, depression, or both in response to a traumatic event.
Paranoid, schizoid, histrionic, avoidant, schizotypal, dependent, borderline, antisocial, narcissistic, and obsessive-compulsive are all examples of what larger class of disorder?
Personality disorders
These are all characterized by long-lasting thoughts and behaviors that prevent the patient from adhering to socially acceptable behavioral/thought patterns.
True or false:
Individuals with schizophrenia are always also diagnosed with either schizoid or schizotypal personality disorder.
False
Schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders are entirely separate from schizophrenia!
Schizoid personality disorder refers to a lack of desire to engage socially, while schizotypal personality disorder refers to a pervasive pattern of eccentric thoughts, such as belief in magic or psychic tendencies. (However, of course, not all individuals who believe in these things have schizotypal personality disorder.)
Cluster A of the personality disorders includes schizoid, paranoid, and ________ personality disorder.
Cluster A of the personality disorders includes schizoid, paranoid, and schizotypal personality disorder.
Individuals with these disorders may seem eccentric or odd and are typically socially withdrawn.
Don’t let the name of this personality disorder mislead you! ________ is marked by social withdrawal, not by extreme paranoia or delusions.
schizoid personality disorder
Individuals with schizoid personality disorder may have few or no friends and may be socially awkward.
Individuals who constantly believe that everyone around them is conspiring against them are most likely to have which of the Cluster A personality disorders?
Paranoid personality disorder
As one might expect from its name, paranoid personality disorder is marked by extreme paranoia.
The only Cluster A personality disorder that is marked by outright psychosis and paranoid ideation is:
schizotypal personality disorder.
While this disorder is still distinct from schizophrenia, it resembles schizophrenia more closely than the other Cluster A disorder with a similar name: schizoid personality disorder.
Cluster B of the personality disorders includes narcissistic, antisocial, borderline, and ________ personality disorder.
Cluster B of the personality disorders includes narcissistic, antisocial, borderline, and histrionic personality disorder.
Individuals with these disorders may seem erratic, dramatic, and/or highly emotional.
People with this personality disorder may hold extremely tightly to relationships, exhibit emotional instability, and have one or two “favorite people” while passionately hating others.
Borderline personality disorder
This condition is more common in women than men. The described tendency toward viewing people as either wholly perfect or entirely terrible is termed splitting.
Individuals with this personality disorder may have no problem exploiting others for their own personal gain and may seem to have no conscience or mental guidance regarding morality.
Antisocial personality disorder
This condition is much more common in men than women and is highly represented among people who have had problems with the law.
An intense need for admiration and a strong sense of self-importance and entitlement characterize which Cluster B personality disorder?
Narcissistic personality disorder
Individuals with this condition are typically preoccupied with their own importance and become enraged when criticized.