Practice Test

When a dangerous situation is recognized, what brain structure releases neurotransmitters to trigger the firing of neurons and the release of chemicals throughout the body?

hypothalamus

. _____ is a technique of turning one's concentration inward, achieving a slightly changed state of consciousness, and temporarily ignoring all stressors.

Meditation

What would typically be included in a retrospective analysis of suicide?

interviews with people who knew the person who committed suicide

After a major earthquake, television coverage showed survivors shuffling confusedly through the ruined buildings. If such survivors later could not remember the days immediately after the earthquake, the survivors would be suffering from which type of amnesia?

localized amnesia

The healthcare provider is examining a woman in the emergency department who is complaining of having bloody diarrhea. The healthcare provider discovers that the woman is inducing her own condition by taking laxatives and anticoagulant medication. When asked why, the woman notes "I like being a patient here." What is the best explanation for the woman's behavior?

She has a factitious disorder.

Alexis has dissociative identity disorder. When one of her personalities, Jodi, is asked about another one, Tom, she claims ignorance. Tom has never heard of Jodi, either. This is called a:

mutually amnesic relationship.

What does switching in a person with dissociative identity disorder mean?

The person has changed from one subpersonality to another.

On an impulse, Jaxson decides to throw a huge party. After four days of round-the-clock work to get everything ready, Jaxson welcomes more than 200 guests. When the police stop by because Jaxson has blocked a public road in order to have room for the party, he flies into a rage. It is MOST likely that Jaxson is experiencing:

a manic phase of bipolar I disorder.

Somatic complaints are very common in non-Western medical settings. This pattern MOST likely reflects:er

a view that somatization is an appropriate way to handle emotions.

A pattern of anxiety, insomnia, depression, and flashbacks that begins shortly after a traumatic event and persists for less than a month is called:

acute stress disorder.

Alicia was terrified during the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit where she lived. For a couple of weeks after the event, she did not sleep well or feel comfortable inside a building. However, her fears gradually diminished and were completely gone within a month. Her reaction to the earthquake would MOST likely be diagnosed as a(n):

acute stress disorder.

At a suicide prevention center, you hear a counselor say, "Do you have a gun? Is it loaded, and do you know how to use it?" Which one of the goals and techniques of suicide prevention do these questions BEST represent?

assessing suicide potential

A woman experiences recurrent thoughts of suicide, great sadness, and sleep disturbances. These symptoms began a week after she gave birth and have lasted more than 6 months. This woman is experiencing:

peripartum depression.

Which is NOT a common focus of psychotherapy, as part of adjunctive therapy, for bipolar disorder?

challenging clients' automatic thoughts

Josiah is a cellist preparing for his audition at Julliard, a world-renowned music school. The night before his audition, Josiah suffers an abrupt paralysis in his right arm. He has no known medical conditions that are associated with this symptom. This description MOST closely aligns with:

conversion disorder.

Piper shot herself by placing the gun barrel in her mouth, in the middle of a dense wood where she knew she wouldn't be heard or found. Piper is an example of what Edwin Shneidman refers to as a:death seeker.

death seeker.

When a person feels that the external world is removed, mechanical, distorted, or even dead, he or she is experiencing:

derealization

Carla sees life in "right or wrong," "all or none" terms. She is engaging in:

dichotomous thinking.

Juan is an atheist, does what he wants, and is alienated from others. He feels life isn't worth living and kills himself. According to Emile Durkheim, Juan would be classified as an:

egoistic suicide.

_____ is a treatment in which tiny holes are drilled into the skull through which electrodes are implanted into the brain.

Deep brain stimulation

A pattern of anxiety, insomnia, depression, and flashbacks that persists for years after a traumatic event BEST describes:

posttraumatic stress disorder.

. A woman who is particularly threatened by any display of her own anger becomes unable to speak when she is most angry with her husband, thereby keeping the anger out of her awareness. According to psychodynamic theorists, she is achieving _____ from her illness.

primary gain

Kate is having flashbacks. Which symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder does this represent?

reexperiencing the traumatic event

Gabe appeared at the clinic complaining of pain in his knee, shoulder, and abdomen; nausea and vomiting; blurred vision; and exhaustion. The patient history revealed that he had been going to clinics for years trying to get treatment for these complaints as well as for a host of other physical symptoms. The diagnostic consensus was that Gabe suffered from:

somatic symptom disorder.

Laurent has three subpersonalities. Fiona emerges when Laurent is in an awkward social situation, Grace surfaces during sporting events, and Carlos appears when Laurent is angry. The therapist believes that the mood and conditions under which each subpersonality appears are critical to understanding this disorder, demonstrating a belief in:

state-dependent learning.

If a deer jumps in front of your car while you are driving, the stress response that is initially activated is the:

sympathetic nervous system.