Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders

Question 1

Is a drug with high affinity and low efficacy an agonist or an antagonist?

Answer 1

It is an antagonist because, by occupying the receptor, it blocks out the neurotransmitter.

Question 2

How does predisposition to alcohol abuse relate to how the liver metabolizes alcohol?

Answer 2

The liver metabolizes alcohol to acetaldehyde, which is toxic, and then to acetic acid. People whose enzymes are slow to metabolize acetaldehyde to acetic acid are less likely than others to abuse alcohol, because rapid or excessive drinking makes them ill.

Question 3

How do sons of alcoholics differ behaviorally, on average, from sons of nonalcoholics?

Answer 3

Sons of alcoholics show less intoxication, including less body sway, after drinking a moderate amount of alcohol.

Question 4

What do drug use, sex, gambling, and video game playing have in common?

Answer 4

They increase the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.

Question 5

What evidence indicates that researchers have been overestimating the role of dopamine in addiction?

Answer 5

Many drugs other than the stimulants can be highly addictive despite only small effects on dopamine synapses. Also, drugs that modify dopamine release have little effect on the use of opiates.

Question 6

During a period of abstinence from cocaine, what happens in the nucleus accumbens?

Answer 6

Certain glutamate synapses in the nucleus accumbens become more responsive, causing increased excitation in response to cues associated with the substance. The result is craving, which increases for some time during abstinence.

Question 7

Someone who is quitting an addictive substance for the first time is strongly counseled not to try it again. Why?

Answer 7

Taking an addictive drug during the withdrawal period is likely to lead to a habit of using the drug to relieve other kinds of distress.

Question 8

How does Antabuse work?

Answer 8

Antabuse blocks the enzyme that converts acetaldehyde to acetic acid. It therefore makes people sick if they drink alcohol. Its effectiveness depends on the fact that someone knows or believes that drinking alcohol will cause illness.

Question 9

Methadone users who try taking heroin experience little effect from it. Why?

Answer 9

Because methadone is already occupying the endorphin receptors, heroin cannot add much stimulation to them.

Question 10

A drug’s _____ is its tendency to activate the receptor whereas as drug’s _____ is how likely it is to bind with the receptor.
a. agonistic effect; antagonistic effect
b. efficacy; affinity
c. affinity; efficacy
d. antagonistic effect; agonistic effect

Answer 10

efficacy; affinity

Correct. Drugs either facilitate or inhibit transmission at synapses. A drug that blocks a neurotransmitter is an antagonist, whereas a drug that mimics or increases the effects is an agonist.

Question 11

Maribel quit using cigarettes after smoking them for years. Even now, when she sees someone else smoking, she has a strong urge to smoke. This behavior is called _____.
a. withdrawal
b. reverse tolerance
c. tolerance
d. craving

Answer 11

craving
Correct. A defining feature of addiction is craving, an insistent search for the substance. Even after an extended period of abstinence, as is the case for Maribel, cues associated with the substance (seeing someone else smoking) trigger a renewed craving.

Question 12

Tina suffers from alcoholism. Her doctor is trying to help her quit drinking. He suggested that she attend weekly therapy and take _____ to help decrease her desire to drink (because it would make her sick after she drank).
a. Acamprosate
b. naltrexone
c. methadone
d. Antabuse

Answer 12

Antabuse
Correct. Tina’s doctor suggested a combination of therapy and the drug disulfiram, which goes by the trade name Antabuse. It antagonizes the enzyme that metabolizes acetaldehyde. Consequently, anyone who takes Antabuse becomes nauseated after drinking alcohol.

Question 13

What evidence suggests two types of depression are influenced by different genes?

Answer 13

Relatives of people with early-onset depression have a high risk of depression and many other psychological disorders. Relatives of people with late-onset depression have a high probability of circulatory problems.

Question 14

What did Caspi and colleagues report to be the relationship between depression and genetics?

Answer 14

People with the short form of the gene controlling the serotonin transporter are more likely than other people to react to stressful experiences by becoming depressed. However, in the absence of stressful experiences, their probability is not increased.

Question 15

Some people offer to train you to use the right hemisphere of your brain more strongly, allegedly to increase creativity. If they were successful, can you see any disadvantage?

Answer 15

People with predominant right-hemisphere activity show an increased tendency toward depression.

Question 16

What are the effects of tricyclic drugs?

Answer 16

Tricyclic drugs block reuptake of serotonin and catecholamines. They also block histamine receptors, acetylcholine receptors, and certain sodium channels, thereby producing unpleasant side effects

Question 17

What are the effects of SSRIs?

Answer 17

SSRIs selectively inhibit the reuptake of serotonin.

Question 18

What are the effects of MAOIs?

Answer 18

MAOIs block the enzyme MAO, which breaks down catecholamines and serotonin. The result is increased availability of these transmitters.

Question 19

In what way does the time course of antidepressants conflict with the idea that they improve mood by increasing neurotransmitter levels?

Answer 19

Antidepressants produce their effects on serotonin and other neurotransmitters quickly, but their behavioral benefits develop gradually over 2 to 3 weeks.

Question 20

As opposed to an interpretation in terms of neurotransmitter levels, what is an alternative explanation for the benefits of antidepressant drugs?

Answer 20

Antidepressant drugs increase production of BDNF, which gradually promotes growth of new neurons in the hippocampus and new learning.

Question 21

As depression becomes more severe, what happens to the percentage of patients showing improvement while taking antidepressant drugs or placebos?

Answer 21

For more severe cases, the percentage of patients who improve remains about the same for patients taking antidepressant drugs, but fewer patients taking placebos show improvement.

Question 22

What is an advantage of psychotherapy over antidepressant drugs?

Answer 22

People who respond well to psychotherapy have a lower risk of later relapse than people who respond to antidepressant drugs. Also, antidepressant drugs produce unpleasant side effects.

Question 23

What are the advantages and disadvantages of ECT?

Answer 23

ECT helps many people who do not respond to antidepressant drugs or psychotherapy, and its benefits usually develop relatively quickly. However, the probability of a quick relapse is high.

Question 24

What change in sleep habits sometimes relieves depression?

Answer 24

Going to bed earlier sometimes relieves depression.

Question 25

What are the advantages of bright-light treatment compared to antidepressant drugs?

Answer 25

It is cheaper, has little risk of side effects, and produces its benefits more quickly.

Question 26

What are common treatments for bipolar disorder?

Answer 26

The common pharmaceutical treatments for bipolar disorder are lithium salts and certain anticonvulsant drugs—valproate and carbamazepine. A diet that includes omega-3 fatty acids also helps, as does a consistent sleep schedule.

Question 27

Who is more likely to suffer from major depression?
a. Tiko who is 35 and has an identical twin that doesn’t have depression
b. Randal who doesn’t have anyone in his family with a history of depression
c. Cherlyn who has increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex
d. Lora who is 25 and has a mother and grandmother with depression

Answer 27

Lora who is 25 and has a mother and grandmother with depression

Correct. Depression is more common in women than men during the reproductive era. Depression is also more likely when additional family members have been diagnosed. Finally, studies have shown that happy, nondepressed people have increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex.

Question 28

Drugs like Cymbalta and Effexor work to relieve depression by increasing levels of _____.
a. serotonin and norepinephrine
b. serotonin and dopamine
c. serotonin
d. norepinephrine

Answer 28

Serotonin and norepinephrine

Correct. Serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor), block reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine. Unlike other antidepressants, the SNRIs improve certain aspects of memory.

Question 29

Jonathon has been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. Besides medications, his doctors have also suggested that he _____.
a. sleep whenever he can during the depressive phases and stay awake as much as possible during the manic phases
b. try to develop a consistent workout and sleep schedule
c. avoid eating foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids
d. avoid excessive exposure to sunlight

Answer 29

try to develop a consistent workout and sleep schedule

Correct. Jonathon’s doctors suggest that he take his medicine as prescribed. They also suggest that he watch his diet and get adequate sleep. Omega-3 fatty acids, such as those in seafood, reduce the risk of bipolar disorder. Getting consistent, adequate sleep helps stabilize mood and decrease the risk of a new episode.

Question 30

Why are hallucinations considered a positive symptom?

Answer 30

Hallucinations are considered a positive symptom because they are present when they should be absent. A “positive” symptom is not a “good” symptom.

Question 31

Someone with the symptoms of schizophrenia might not qualify for the diagnosis. Why not?

Answer 31

Other conditions such as drug abuse or brain damage can produce similar symptoms.

Question 32

The fact that adopted children who develop schizophrenia usually have biological relatives with schizophrenia implies a probable genetic basis. What other interpretation is possible?

Answer 32

A biological mother can influence her child’s development through prenatal environment as well as genetics.

Question 33

What is a microdeletion?

Answer 33

A microdeletion is an error in reproduction that deletes a small part of a chromosome.

Question 34

According to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis, when do the brain abnormalities associated with schizophrenia originate?

Answer 34

Initial problems begin before birth or soon after birth, but they combine with the effects of later difficulties.

Question 35

If brain abnormalities do not continue to grow worse over time, what is the implication for the possibility of recovery?

Answer 35

The prospects for recovery are more encouraging than they would seem if the brain were continuing to deteriorate over time. With any type of brain damage, some degree of recovery over time is likely.

Question 36

The ability of traditional antipsychotic drugs to relieve schizophrenia correlates strongly with what effect on neurotransmitters?

Answer 36

Their ability to relieve schizophrenia correlates strongly with how well they block activity at dopamine synapses.

Question 37

Kenny has been having thoughts lately that his telephones are sending messages to the government. He is also worried because he can hear a man’s voice yelling at him even when he is alone. He will likely be diagnosed with _____.
a. autism spectrum disorder
b. bipolar I disorder
c. major depressive disorder
d. schizophrenia

Answer 37

schizophrenia

Correct. According to the DSM-5, to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, someone must have deteriorated in everyday functioning (work, interpersonal relations, self-care, etc.) for at least six months for reasons not attributable to other disorders. In this case, Kenny is having delusions and hallucinations.

Question 38

The season-of-birth effect is the tendency for people born in _____ to have a slightly greater probability of developing schizophrenia than people born at other times of the year.
a. fall
b. spring
c. summer
d. winter

Answer 38

winter

Correct. Another suggestion of prenatal influences comes from the season-of-birth effect: the tendency for people born in winter to have a slightly greater probability of developing schizophrenia than people born at other times of the year. This tendency is more pronounced in latitudes far from the equator.

Question 39

For a long time, it was thought that excessive _____ activity in certain brain areas was responsible for schizophrenia.
a. dopamine
b. norepinephrine
c. serotonin
d. glutamate

Answer 39

dopamine

Correct. The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia holds that schizophrenia results from excess activity at dopamine synapses in certain brain areas. Although the concentration of dopamine in the brain as a whole is no higher than normal, dopamine release is increased in the basal ganglia, especially in response to stressful events. Further support for the dopamine hypothesis comes from the fact that extensive abuse of amphetamine, methamphetamine, or cocaine (which all increase dopamine at the synapses) induces substance-induced psychotic disorder, characterized by hallucinations and delusions.

Question 40

How can researchers determine whether a mutation or microdeletion has arisen anew?

Answer 40

They compare the child’s chromosome to those of the parents. If neither parent has that mutation or microdeletion, then it arose anew. They can also examine surrounding genes to determine whether the chromosome came from the father or the mother.

Question 41

Having a sibling with autism who is close to your age increases your own risk more than having a sibling with autism who is much older or younger. What conclusion does this observation imply?

Answer 41

Genetics cannot be the whole explanation for autism. Factors in the prenatal environment may contribute. The prenatal environment would be more similar for siblings close in age.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT an important characteristic of autism spectrum disorder:
a. Deficits in gestures, facial expressions, and other nonverbal communication
b. Unusually weak or strong responses to stimuli, such as indifference to pain or a panicked reaction to a sound
c. Deficits in social and emotional exchange
d. Excessive resistance to forming/maintaining a routine

Answer 42

excessive resistance to forming/maintaining a routine

Correct. The American Psychiatric Association includes many distinct characteristics as essential to autism spectrum disorder. They include deficits in social and emotional exchange; deficits in gestures, facial expressions, and other nonverbal communication; stereotyped behaviors, such as repetitive movements, resistance to a change in routine, and unusually weak or strong responses to stimuli.

Question 43

Kori is pregnant. Her doctors have recommended that she consume adequate amounts of _____ either from leafy green vegetables or from vitamin supplements.
a. iron
b. vitamin B6
c. vitamin D
d. folic acid

Answer 43

folic acid
Correct. Nutritionists recommend that pregnant women like Kori get adequate amounts of folic acid (vitamin B9), either from leafy green vegetables and orange juice, or from vitamin pills. Folic acid is important for development of the nervous system.