Diagnosis and Assessment

Question 1

What are the new changes in DSM-5?

Answer 1

• Removal of multiaxial system
• Changes in organisation of diagnoses
• Combining of diagnosis
• Ethnic and cultural consideration in diagnosis
• New diagnoses
• Renaming of diagnoses

Question 2

Define ego-syntonic conditions

Answer 2

a condition where behaviors, values, and feelings that are in harmony with or acceptable to the needs and goals of the ego, or consistent with one’s ideal self-image

Question 3

What neurobiological assessment techniques can be used to assess an individuals’ mental health?

Answer 3

• Brain imaging (i.e. CT, MRI, PET, fMRI etc.) - Psychophysiological assessment (i.e. ECG, EEG etc.) - Neuropsychological assessment

Question 4

Who published the ICD-10?

Answer 4

WHO

Question 5

Which of the following methods tends to be used for diagnostic purposes more often by practicing clinicians?

a) Review of DSM symptoms through an informal clinical interview
b) Administration of the Structured Clinical Interview
c) Structured clinical interview plus administration of the MMPI-2
d) Informal clinical interview plus projective tests

Answer 5

a) Review of DSM symptoms through an informal clinical interview

Question 6

Define comorbidity

Answer 6

the presence of one or more additional diseases or disorders co-occurring with (that is, concomitant or concurrent with) a primary disease or disorder

Question 7

Define labelling theory

Answer 7

the theory of how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them. It is associated with the concepts of self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping

Question 8

Electrocardiograms, electrodermal responding, and electroencephalograms are examples of __________ assessments.

a) psychological
b) psychophysiological
c) neuropsychological
d) neurophysiological

Answer 8

b) psychophysiological

Question 9

How do structured interviews aim to psychologically assess individuals?

Answer 9

• All interviewers ask the same questions in a predetermined order
• Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I of DSM

Question 10

What are some non-interview psychological assessments?

Answer 10

• Self-report inventories (i.e. MMPI)
• Projective tests (i.e. Rorschach Inkblot Test)
• Intelligence/cognitive tests
• Observation of behaviour
• Self-observation

Question 11

What are the problems with defining mental disorders based on their statistical rarity?

Answer 11

• Some psychological phenomena are statistically rare but not a disorder (i.e. giftedness)
• Some common phenomena are regarded as disorders (i.e. anxiety and depression)

Question 12

When was the first edition of the DSM published?

Answer 12

1952

Question 13

Tania did poorly on the math section of the IQ test after being told that typically men performed better on that section. Marie, on the other hand, did as well as the men when taking the math section of the IQ test. Marie was told that there were no gender differences in performance. This is an example of

a) confusion created by the test.
b) stereotype threat.
c) predictive reliability.
d) interrater reliability.

Answer 13

b) stereotype threat.

Question 14

If a clinician has only five to ten minutes available to administer an assessment, which type would they most likely choose?

a) A self-report checklist
b) The MMPI
c) The Rorschach
d) A structured clinical interview

Answer 14

a) A self-report checklist

Question 15

Graduate schools can help to minimize the negative effects of cultural biases when assessing patients by teaching each of the following important issues EXCEPT:

a) the basic issues in assessment, such as reliability and validity
b) the specific ways in which culture and ethnicity may impact assessment rather than more global stereotypes about a particular cultural or ethnic group
c) that culture or ethnicity will impact every assessment in every case
d) that culture or ethnicity will not impact every assessment in every case

Answer 15

c) that culture or ethnicity will impact every assessment in every case

Question 16

Does the DSM-5 rely on a categorical or dimensional system of diagnosis?

Answer 16

Categorical classification

Question 17

Define Internal Classification of Diseases (ICD)

Answer 17

the global health information standard for mortality and morbidity statistics

Question 18

Using the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule, researchers have found that life stressors are robust predictors of episodes of all the following EXCEPT:

a) anxiety.
b) depression.
c) mania.
d) the common cold.

Answer 18

c) mania.

Question 19

The Halstead-Reitan and Luria-Nebraska tests are examples of __________ assessments.

a) neuroanatomical
b) neuropsychological
c) neurological
d) neurotransmitter

Answer 19

b) neuropsychological

Question 20

What might be some criticisms of classifying abnormal behaviours?

Answer 20

• Stigma
• Doesn’t consider “uniqueness”
• Self-fulfilling
• Biases (social/cultural etc.)

Question 21

How do informal interviews aim to psychologically assess individuals?

Answer 21

• Interviewer attends to how questions are answered
• Is response accompanied by appropriate emotion?
• Does client fail to answer question?
• Good rapport essential to earn trust
• Empathy and accepting attitude necessary
• Reliability lower than for structural interviews

Question 22

Collections of specific symptoms that are likely to be seen and diagnosed only within certain regions of the world are known as

a) cultural concepts of distress.
b) atypical diagnostic entities.
c) cross-culture variations.
d) non-dominant presentations.

Answer 22

a) cultural concepts of distress.

Question 23

Define Ego-dystonic conditions

Answer 23

a condition where aspects of a person’s thoughts, impulses, attitudes, and behavior that are felt to be repugnant, distressing, unacceptable, or inconsistent with the rest of the personality

Question 24

What are some criticism of the DSM?

Answer 24

• Too many diagnoses (co-morbidity and over-pathologized common reactions)
• Interrater reliability

Question 25

Define interrater reliability

Answer 25

statistical measurements that determine how similar the data collected by different raters are

Question 26

The DSM-5 was changed from prior versions in each of the following ways EXCEPT:

a) removal of the multiaxial system
b) diagnoses are organized based on causes versus similarity of symptoms
c) greater continuity between childhood and adult forms of disorders
d) removal of cultural variables and culture-related disorders

Answer 26

d) removal of cultural variables and culture-related disorders

Question 27

Define World Health Organisation (WHO)

Answer 27

a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health

Question 28

In order to be more culturally sensitive, some tests that were developed in the United States have been translated into different languages. Steps taken to ensure that the meaning of the words is the same across different cultures include all of the following EXCEPT:

a) working with multiple translators.
b) back-translating.
c) testing with multiple native speakers.
d) translating cultural shifts.

Answer 28

d) translating cultural shifts.

Question 29

Define Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM)

Answer 29

a comprehensive classification of officially recognized psychiatric disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association , for use by mental health professionals to ensure uniformity of diagnosis

Question 30

What happens if an individual has one less symptom than specified by the DSM?

Answer 30

They are not diagnosed with the disorder but may have NOS (“Not Otherwise Specified) condition

Question 31

Clinicians are encouraged to be particularly tentative about drawing conclusions with patients from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Instead, they should do all of the following EXCEPT:

a) form an opinion and go about confirming it
b) make a hypothesis about the culture of a particular client
c) entertain alternative hypotheses
d) test the hypotheses

Answer 31

a) form an opinion and go about confirming it

Question 32

What are the problems with defining mental disorders based on their subjective distress?

Answer 32

• This definition does not distinguish from ego-dystonic conditions and ego-syntonic conditions

Question 33

Two of the most common types of psychological tests are __________ and __________ tests.

a) cognitive; behavioral
b) psychodynamic; personality
c) neurological; intelligence
d) personality; intelligence

Answer 33

d) personality; intelligence

Question 34

Jaime was asked to collect information in real time by using a PDA to record her thoughts, moods and stressors. This is an example of

a) personality assessment.
b) ecological momentary assessment.
c) a self-report checklist.
d) a projective test.

Answer 34

b) ecological momentary assessment.

Question 35

What are some of the reasons individuals and clinicians may want to classify/diagnose mental disorders?

Answer 35

• Can help people make sense of their symptoms
• Easier for clinicians
• Advances research
• Enables effective communication