Clinical Psychology Questions

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary disturbance in mood disorders?

Persistent anxiety episodes

Change in appetite or weight

Depression or elevation of mood (correct)

Frequent panic attacks

Which combination of symptoms characterizes a Major Depressive Episode (MDE)?

Five or more specific DSM-5 listed symptoms (correct)

Chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances

Irritability and muscle tension

Panic attacks and phobias

What is a core feature of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Recurrent panic attacks

Lack of concentration and weight loss

Constant feeling of worthlessness

Excessive anxiety occurring more days than not (correct)

Which of the following symptoms is NOT associated with Panic Disorder (PD)?

Social isolation due to stigma Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary characteristic of mental health?

State of well-being that allows for community contribution Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes a psychological disorder?

A syndrome reflecting significant disturbance in emotional regulation Signup and view all the answers

What is NOT a criterion for a mental disorder according to DSM-5-TR?

Expectable response to stressors Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT considered in case formulation?

Cultural influences Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of mental disorders does B.F. Skinner's theory emphasize?

Maladaptive learned behaviors Signup and view all the answers

How does Aaron T. Beck's cognitive-behavioral model primarily explain mental disorders?

By exploring thought, emotion, and behavior interactions Signup and view all the answers

What type of diagnostic approach does the DSM-5-TR primarily use?

Categorical with occasional dimensional ratings Signup and view all the answers

Which component is a focus in understanding mental disorders according to the biopsychosocial model?

Interactions between biological, psychological, and social factors Signup and view all the answers

What age group has the highest prevalence of 12-month anxiety disorders?

16-24 years Signup and view all the answers

Which model explains depression through a combination of low positive affect and high negative affect?

Tripartite Model of Depression and Anxiety Signup and view all the answers

Which cognitive aspect is involved in Beck’s Cognitive Model of Depression?

Negative schemas Signup and view all the answers

What does the term ‘psychosis’ primarily refer to?

Out of touch with reality Signup and view all the answers

What is a requirement for a schizophrenia diagnosis?

At least two of the specified symptoms for one month Signup and view all the answers

According to the ABC Model, what does 'B' stand for?

Belief Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the Hi-Top approach?

It delineates various internal processes leading to emotional disorders. Signup and view all the answers

What does the negative triad in Beck’s model refer to?

Negative thoughts about the self, world, and future Signup and view all the answers

What relationship aspect was identified as having the most significant stigma and discrimination for Australians living with mental illness?

Relationships with friends and family Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following symptoms is NOT a criterion for Major Depressive Episode (MDE)?

Shortness of breath Signup and view all the answers

What is the minimum duration required for symptoms to qualify for Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

6 months Signup and view all the answers

In Panic Disorder (PD), what is a typical behavioral change that may occur following a panic attack?

Avoidance of specific situations Signup and view all the answers

How can poor quality education regarding mental illness impact stigma?

Increasing stigma Signup and view all the answers

What are considered positive symptoms in schizophrenia?

Hallucinations and delusions Signup and view all the answers

Which symptom is classified as a negative symptom?

Avolition Signup and view all the answers

Who coined the term 'schizophrenia'?

Paul Eugen Bleuler Signup and view all the answers

What did Emil Kraepelin emphasize in his description of 'dementia praecox'?

Early onset and hallucinations Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT considered a first rank symptom according to Schneider?

Structural brain abnormalities Signup and view all the answers

What theory suggests that high levels of criticism and emotional over-involvement can contribute to psychosis?

Expressed Negative Emotion Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of personality is considered a vulnerability for disorders?

Individual uniqueness Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is associated with a higher likelihood of developing schizophrenia if both parents have the disorder?

Biological factors Signup and view all the answers

Which personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive distrust and suspicion of others?

Paranoid personality disorder Signup and view all the answers

Which diathesis is associated with depression?

Dependency Signup and view all the answers

In the context of personality disorders, which cluster is referred to as ‘anxious’?

Cluster C Signup and view all the answers

What does the stress-diathesis model suggest about the development of mental disorders?

Both personality vulnerabilities and environmental stress contribute to disorders. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents a common misconception regarding dissociative identity disorder (DID)?

All cases of DID are identical. Signup and view all the answers

Which personality trait is associated with the diathesis for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?

Thought-action fusion Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of narcissistic personality disorder?

Lack of empathy Signup and view all the answers

Which psychological phenomenon is suggested as a coping strategy during traumatic stress, possibly leading to alter personalities in DID?

Dissociation Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Introduction to Mental Health and Disorder

Mental health is a state of well-being that enables individuals to cope with life's stresses, utilize their abilities, learn effectively, contribute to their community, and work productively.
Mental illness is a clinically diagnosable disorder significantly impacting an individual's cognitive, emotional, or social abilities.
The DSM-5-TR defines mental disorder as a syndrome characterized by a significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior, reflecting a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.
Mental disorders are typically associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities.
A mental disorder is not an expectable or culturally approved response to a common stressor, nor is it socially deviant behavior and conflicts primarily between the individual and society.
The DSM-5-TR is a diagnostic tool predominantly categorical (disorder diagnoses) with some dimensional components (e.g., symptom severity rating).
Diagnosis relies on clinical interviews, textual descriptions, and diagnostic criteria that assess current symptoms while ruling out disorder due to a general medical condition or substance use.
Case formulation examines biopsychosocial factors like predisposing risk factors, precipitating risk factors, perpetuating risk factors, and protective factors.

Different Approaches to Understanding Mental Disorder

Freud believed that mental illness originates from unresolved unconscious motives and conflicts, like repressed childhood experiences and desires.
B.F. Skinner believed that mental disorders result from maladaptive learned behaviors.
Aaron T. Beck developed the cognitive-behavioral model, linking thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and how they interact to potentially lead to disordered mindsets.
The Australian National Stigma Report Card aimed to understand how Australians with mental illness experience stigma and discrimination.
It found that relationships with friends and family are most affected by stigma and discrimination, followed by social media. The report revealed over 80% of those surveyed have stopped trying to make or maintain friendships due to stigma.
Contact and education are the best ways to reduce stigma. However, inadequate education can exacerbate stigma.

Mood and Affect

Mood refers to a person's sustained experience of emotion.
Affect refers to the immediate experience and expression of emotion.
Mood disorders involve a depression or elevation of mood as the primary disturbance.

Core Features of MDE and MDD

The Major Depressive Episode (MDE) criteria involve five or more DSM-5 listed symptoms present for two or more weeks. These symptoms include depressed mood, anhedonia, change in appetite/weight, change in sleep, fatigue, worthlessness, lack of concentration, and recurrent thoughts of death/suicide.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) involves an MDE that is not better explained by another diagnosis.

Core Features of PD, GAD, and PTSD

Panic Disorder (PD) involves recurrent, unexpected panic attacks with at least four of the following symptoms: heart palpitations, sweating and trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, fear of losing control or dying, etc. The attacks are followed by at least one month of significant behavioral change and persistent worry about another panic attack.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) involves excessive anxiety occurring more days than not for over six months. The anxiety is associated with at least three of the following: restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance.
Prevalence rates for PD, GAD, and PTSD are significantly higher in women and peak between the ages of 16-24. Approximately 30% of people experience any 12-month anxiety disorder at that age, and ~13% experience any 12-month mood disorder.

Different Explanations of Depression

The Tripartite Model of Depression and Anxiety (Clark & Watson, 1991) suggests that a combination of low positive affect and high negative affect leads to depressive symptoms, while negative affect and anxious arousal lead to anxiety symptoms.
Hi-Top and the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders outline the various processes that lead to mental disorders, with most anxiety/mood disorders being caused by internalizing and fear/distress
The Behavioural Model proposes that low rates of operant behavior and low rates of reinforcement contribute to depression.
Beck's Cognitive Model of Depression looks at negative events that establish negative schemas (beliefs, rules, and assumptions). The activation of these schemas leads to negative automatic thoughts (NAT) that serve as "fuel" for depression. It also includes the negative triad: a cognitive pattern involving negative thoughts about the self, the world, and the future.
ABC Model: A = activating event, B = belief, C = consequence
Cognitive paradigm: thought, emotion, and behavior

Psychosis

The term 'psychosis' is an umbrella term meaning 'out of touch with reality'. At the disorder level, psychosis refers to a group of disorders distinguishable based on symptom configuration, duration, and relative pervasiveness.
The term 'schizophrenia' means 'split mindedness' or 'a mind torn asunder'.

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

The diagnostic criterion for schizophrenia requires a one-month period in which at least two of the following are present for a significant portion of the time: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized or catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms. Continuous signs of disturbance for at least six months are also required.

Positive and Negative Symptoms

Positive symptoms are additive to normal experience: hallucinations, delusions, clanging, circumstantiality, flight of ideas, derailment, incoherence, pressure of speech.
Negative symptoms are a deficit in normal function: avolition (lack of motivation), alogia (poverty of speech), anhedonia, affective flattening, inattention.

History of Schizophrenia

Benedict Augustine Morel (1860) described 'demence precoce' based on observations of individuals displaying a set of symptoms and experiencing early onset and deteriorating course.
Emil Kraepelin (1898) described 'dementia praecox', still emphasizing early onset and deteriorating course, but differentiated from other forms of psychosis by emphasizing hallucinations, delusions, negativism, attentional difficulties, stereotypies, and emotional dysfunction.
Paul Eugen Bleuler (1908/11) coined the term 'schizophrenia' and disagreed with characterizing the disorder as a dementia. He focused on the symptoms of association (cognition), affectivity, ambivalence, and autism (withdrawal from reality).
Schneider (1959) emphasized 'first-rank symptoms', which include hearing one's voice out loud, hallucinatory voices, hallucinatory running commentary, somatic hallucinations, thought withdrawal, thought insertion, thought broadcasting, delusion perceptions, made feelings, made actions, and made impulses. However, a number of these symptoms overlap with other disorders.

Aetiological Theories of Psychosis

Expressed Negative Emotion: form of family communication characterized by high levels of criticism, hostility, and emotional over-involvement.
Stress-vulnerability model.
Biological models:
- Seems to be a genetic predisposition. If both parents have schizophrenia, there is a ~35% chance the child will develop it.
- Structural abnormalities in the brain.
- Lack of dopamine.

Personality as a Vulnerability for Disorder

Personality is what makes you uniquely you. Some personality types are more susceptible to mental health issues generally. Personality can be somewhat genetic, and some genes lead to greater vulnerability.

Diatheses for Various Disorders

Most mental disorders involve the combined action of a personality vulnerability (i.e., diatheses) and environmental stress.
Depression: dependency, autonomy, self-criticism, pessimistic attributional style.
Schizophrenia: social anhedonia, physical anhedonia, perceptual aberration, magical thinking.
Perfectionism and anorexia.
Hypomanic temperament and bipolar disorder.
Thought-action fusion and OCD.
Anxiety sensitivity and panic disorder.

Personality Disorders

Cluster A or the 'odd' cluster: e.g., Paranoid personality disorder, which involves a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others. Suspicion of exploitation or harm, doubts of loyalty, reads hidden messages, holds grudges, etc.
Cluster B or the 'dramatic' cluster: e.g., Narcissistic personality disorder, which involves a pervasive feeling of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy, and sense of entitlement, etc.
Cluster C or the 'anxious' cluster: e.g., Avoidant personality disorder, which involves a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, and unusual reluctance to take risks.

Stress-Diathesis Models of Disorder

These models explain how a combination of a predisposition to a disorder (diathesis) and a stressful event can trigger the onset or exacerbation of a mental health condition.

DID and Explanations

DID involves someone having two or more personalities that switch, leading to noticeable changes in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-motor functioning.
It's a somewhat controversial diagnosis, and there has been an apparent explosion in cases, and symptoms can alter quite significantly.
The dominant theory for explaining DID is that dissociation is a self-defense method or coping strategy during traumatic stress, and patients become so practiced and skilled at this defense that they construct alter personalities.
Another theory suggests that therapists can cause split personalities by suggesting to a patient that they are a certain way, and the patient somewhat becomes that person.

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Description

Explore the foundations of mental health and mental disorders in this quiz. Understand concepts related to well-being, mental illness, and the criteria set by the DSM-5-TR. Test your knowledge on how these disorders impact individuals' lives and well-being.