Deck 7: Somatic Symptom Disorders and Dissociative Disorders

Question 1

Having an out of body experience is typical for people experiencing dissociative amnesia.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Malingering is another term for factitious disorder.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the same thing as conversion disorder.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Psychodynamic therapy is effective for treating somatoform disorders.

Question 5

Cognitive-behavioural therapy is effective for treating somatoform disorders.

Question 6

Social and cultural factors do not influence the development of conversion disorder.

Question 7

Several of the somatoform disorders listed in DSM-IV are now grouped together as somatic symptom disorder in DSM-5.

Question 8

Briquet's syndrome is another term for somatization disorder.

Question 9

Somatoform disorders are rooted in consciousness, whereas dissociative disorders are rooted in physical symptoms.

Question 10

Hypochondriasis is a somatoform disorder in DSM-5.

Question 11

Experiencing childhood abuse is a necessary criteria for developing dissociative identity disorder.

Question 12

The existence of dissociative disorders are well supported by research.

Question 13

Dissociative fugue is a form of dissociative amnesia.

Question 14

Rates of dissociative identity disorder have tended to fluctuate over the years.

Question 15

One explanation for the development of somatoform disorders is a person's over concern with bodily sensations.

Question 16

A small number of clinicians are responsible for a large percentage of dissociative identity disorder diagnoses.

Question 17

Dissociative disorders are quite common amongst the general population.

Question 18

Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by hallucinations and delusions.

Question 19

When there is no physical or medical cause for a physical disorder, a person likely has a somatoform disorder.

Question 20

Carpal tunnel syndrome shares symptoms with conversion disorder.

Question 21

Hypnosis is not recommended for treatment of dissociative identity disorder.

Question 22

Body dysmorphic disorder, given the excessive preoccupation with a perceived bodily imperfection, has been considered most similar to which disorder?

A) Eating disorder
B) Obsessive-compulsive disorder
C) Social phobia
D) Conversion disorder

Question 23

Jaclyn is preoccupied with her eyes, feeling that they are asymmetrical. She spends hours applying makeup in an effort to make her eyes appear exactly the same size and shape. The extent of her routine requires hours, and has cost her several jobs. She has had plastic surgery, but this has not alleviated her concerns. The most likely diagnosis for Jaclyn would be:

A) Body dysmorphic disorder.
B) Conversion disorder.
C) Hypochondriasis.
D) Somatization disorder.

Question 24

Psychoanalytic therapy tends to be the treatment of choice for dissociative disorder.

Question 25

Somatoform disorders all involve:

A) Physical symptoms.
B) Dysphoric mood.
C) Disruptions of consciousness.
D) Hallucinations.

Question 26

In the case study of hypochondriasis involving James V., Mr. V. scratched himself tenaciously because he was convinced that:

A) His skin had come into contact with and been contaminated by germs
B) Bugs were crawling over him
C) He had no sense of touch when he did indeed touch his skin
D) He wanted to create a problem in order to get medical attention

Question 27

Which of the following best describes the occurrence of body dysmorphic disorder?

A) It is more common among men than women
B) It typically begins in the early 20s in both men and women
C) It is often comorbid with hypochondriasis
D) Thoughts of suicide are common

Question 28

Since somatization, hypochondriasis, pain disorder, and undifferentiated somatoform disorder share features of cognitive distortions and somatic symptoms, they are listed in DSM-5 as:

A) One category, i.e., 'somatic symptom disorders'
B) Separately as per the type of cognitive distortions they resemble
C) The same way as they were in the DSM-IV
D) They are not listed in DSM-5.

Question 29

In DSM-5, somatoform disorder is referred to as:

A) Somatoform disorder
B) Somatic symptom disorder
C) Conversion disorder
D) Illness anxiety disorder

Question 30

Somatoform and dissociative disorders are similar in that both:

A) Have symptoms suggesting a physical dysfunction.
B) Typically begin after a stressful experience.
C) Involve aggressive outbursts.
D) Are delusional in quality

Question 31

Which of the following statements about body dysmorphic disorder is not true?

A) It occurs primarily among males
B) It begins typically in late adolescence
C) It is often comorbid with social phobia
D) It is typically a chronic illness

Question 32

Contemporary researchers focus on ________ rather than hypochondriasis per se.

A) Illness phobias
B) Conversion symptoms
C) Health anxiety
D) Obsessive-compulsiveness

Question 33

Health anxiety has been linked with the personality trait of:

A) Conscientiousness
B) Psychoticism
C) Neuroticism
D) Dependency

Question 34

Clinical case reports of five pre-teen Amish girls described common symptoms of motor deficits and severe weight loss. Organic and environmental factors were ruled out. The likely diagnosis was:

A) Hypochondriasis
B) Body dysmorphic disorder
C) Anorexia nervosa
D) Conversion disorder

Question 35

Mayou and colleagues (2005) argued that the somatoform disorders should not be included in DSM-5. Which of the following was NOT one of their concerns?

A) Ambiguity in the exclusion criteria
B) Incompatibility with other cultures
C) Lack of clearly defined thresholds
D) Unacceptable terminology to clinicians

Question 36

Group outbreaks of symptoms of conversion disorder, sometimes called "mass hysteria," are thought to be due to:

A) recent exposure to an environmental pathogen
B) prolonged exposure to an environmental pathogen
C) prolonged exposure to stress
D) recent exposure to stress

Question 37

Which of the following best illustrates hypochondriasis?

A) An ulcer caused by stress
B) Persistent unsubstantiated fear of having cancer
C) Obsessions with an imagined physical defect, such as facial wrinkles
D) Recurring pain with no physical basis

Question 38

Which of the following statements about body dysmorphic disorder is not true?

A) It is often comorbid with depression
B) Plastic surgery typically fixes their concerns
C) It occurs primarily among females
D) Most people with BDD experience symptoms for many years

Question 39

The somatoform and dissociative disorders are thought to be rooted in:

A) Anxiety
B) The body
C) Faulty cognitions
D) Depression

Question 40

The somatoform and dissociative disorders:

A) Are new to DSM-IV.
B) Were listed as neuroses in the early editions of the DSM.
C) Have signs of anxiety as a principal symptom.
D) Are more common among men.

Question 41

Lucy complained of paralysis in her leg that made it impossible for her to work or do household chores. When in the emergency room, she appeared unconcerned with her ailment, and discussed it at great length. She even invited people to come and poke her leg to show that she experienced no sensations. She would most likely be diagnosed with:

A) Somatization disorder.
B) Conversion disorder.
C) Malingering.
D) Hypochondriasis.

Question 42

Canadian writer George Fraser's (1994) reports on cases of "hysterical blindness" in military men demonstrate:

A) The role of stress in the development of conversion disorders
B) The increased prevalence of conversion and other somatoform disorders in military men
C) The ability of people to create symptoms to get out of unpleasant situations
D) The ability to cure conversion disorder with a military discharge

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a factor of the Illness Attitudes Scale?

A) Worry about illness
B) Coping style
C) Disease conviction
D) Health habits

Question 44

Which of the following is a symptom of conversion disorder?

A) Having multiple personalities
B) Paralysis in the hand
C) Chronic sweating
D) Hypersensitivity to pain

Question 45

Conversion disorder was first studied by Freud, when it was referred to as

A) la belle indifference.
B) hysteria.
C) hypochondriasis.
D) Briquet's syndrome.

Question 46

Canadian researchers Taylor et al. (2006) conducted a twin study on the heritability of hypochondriasis (also called health anxiety). After controlling for medical morbidity, they found that health anxiety:

A) Was moderately heritable
B) Was mostly environmental
C) Was mostly learned
D) All of the above

Question 47

________ was the term used originally to describe what is known today as conversion disorder.

A) Psychasthenia
B) Anesthenia
C) Hysteria
D) Malingering

Question 48

Which of the following statements about Salkovskis and Warwick's cognitive model of anxiety is not true?

A) It includes the role of critical precipitating events
B) It recognizes that cognitive factors interact with individual differences in personality and temperament
C) Health anxiety is decreased by the perceived presence of rescue factors
D) Health anxiety increases according to the perceived probability and awfulness of a health problem

Question 49

In their cognitive model of health anxiety, Salkovskis and Warwick maintain that health anxiety levels vary as a function of:

A) The perceived inability to cope
B) The perceived severity of an illness
C) The perceived cost and "awfulness" of an illness
D) The perceived presence of additional symptoms

Question 50

Most conversion symptoms suggest:

A) Loss of memory.
B) Damage to the uterus.
C) Renal dysfunction.
D) Neurological damage.

Question 51

Anosmia is:

A) Loss of sense of touch
B) Loss of sense of smell
C) Loss of sense of vision
D) Loss of sense of hearing

Question 52

Carpal tunnel syndrome:

A) Can produce symptoms similar to those of glove anaesthesia
B) Is considered an example of conversion
C) Is the result of swelling of nerves in the wrists
D) Can be treated with psychotherapy

Question 53

Aphonia, anosmia, and the experience of anesthesias are indicators of:

A) Dissociative disorder
B) Hypochondriasis
C) Body dysmorphic disorder
D) Conversion disorder

Question 54

George Fraser from the Royal Ottawa Hospital reported on the cases of two young military recruits who were referred to psychiatry because of their "blindness." These two young men were diagnosed with:

A) Conversion disorder
B) Somatization disorder
C) Hypochondriasis
D) Factitious disorder

Question 55

Robert complained of complete lack of feeling in both knees, but a physical exam revealed no physiological damage. Which of the following would be the most likely diagnosis for Robert?

A) Body dysmorphic disorder
B) Somatization disorder
C) Conversion disorder
D) Hypochondriasis

Question 56

Who is most likely to meet diagnostic criteria for conversion disorder?

A) Danielle, an unemployed 30-year-old woman from the small rural town of Revelstoke, British Columbia
B) James, an unemployed 30-year-old man from Toronto, Ontario
C) Cameron, an employed 45-year-old man from the small rural town of Kapuskasing, Ontario
D) Sophie, an employed 45-year-old female from Montreal, Quebec

Question 57

Hypochondriasis is defined as:

A) A fear of spreading illness
B) A fear of contracting an illness
C) A fear of dying from illness
D) A fear of having an illness

Question 58

Julie experienced inexplicable blindness. She visited several ophthalmologists, all of whom indicated there was no physical basis for her blindness. She most likely has:

A) Hypochondriasis.
B) Dissociative disorder.
C) Conversion disorder.
D) Body dysmorphic disorder.

Question 59

A conversion disorder reflecting aphonia involves:

A) Loss of vision
B) Loss of voice
C) Loss of touch
D) Loss of smell

Question 60

Actress Uma Thurman has admitted that she suffers from:

A) Dissociative disorder
B) Obsessive compulsive disorder
C) Body dysmorphic disorder
D) Bulimia

Question 61

Which of the following is most similar to somatization disorder?

A) Pain disorder
B) Conversion disorder
C) Hypochondriasis
D) Dissociative disorder

Question 62

Lucy complained of paralysis in her leg that made it impossible for her to work or do household chores. When in the emergency room, she appeared unconcerned with her ailment, and discussed it at great length. She even invited people to come and poke her leg to show that she experienced no sensations. Lucy's style of discussing her symptoms is called:

A) La belle indifference
B) Hypochondriasis
C) Briquet's syndrome
D) Fugue

Question 63

Rap singer Eminem claims that during his childhood he suffered from:

A) Conversion disorder
B) Hypochondriasis
C) Munchausen syndrome by proxy
D) Health anxiety

Question 64

The current celebrity ________ claims to have been a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy during childhood.

A) Marilyn Manson
B) Christina Aguilera
C) Eminem
D) Michael Jackson

Question 65

The importance of conversion disorders in psychoanalysis is based upon:

A) Freud's discovery that patients with conversion disorders were usually victims of sexual abuse.
B) Freud, who suffered from and overcame a conversion disorder.
C) Freud's belief that more directive methods were appropriate for treating conversion disorders, paving the way for linking psychoanalysis and behaviour therapy.
D) Freud's development of many psychoanalytic concepts while treating patients with conversion disorder.

Question 66

Sandra has 'glove anaesthesia.' This diagnosis:

A) May be incorrect if Sandra has a job involving a great deal of typing.
B) Can be made with near certainty.
C) Depends on the degree of accompanying anxiety experienced by the patient.
D) Is not appropriate; pain disorder is the correct term.

Question 67

Which theory has dominated the study of somatoform disorders?

A) Psychoanalytic
B) Biological
C) Behavioural
D) Cognitive

Question 68

Unlike a malingerer, a person with factitious disorder:

A) Does not exhibit "la belle indifference."
B) Has primarily psychological, not physical, symptoms.
C) Has physical symptoms that are not under voluntary control.
D) Has no clear motivation for adopting the symptoms and simply wants to assume the patient role.

Question 69

The psychoanalytic concept of __________ is based upon Freud's study of conversion disorder.

A) libido
B) hysteria
C) the Oedipal complex
D) the unconscious

Question 70

In his later writings, Freud hypothesized that conversion disorders in women stem from:

A) Fixation in the oral stage
B) Fixation in the anal stage
C) Excessive moral anxiety
D) An unresolved Electra Complex

Question 71

The onset of conversion symptoms is usually:

A) Sudden and related to a stressful situation.
B) Gradual and subtle.
C) Not associated with psychological distress.
D) Preceded by a period of physical illness.

Question 72

In two Canadian cases of Munchausen's syndrome, nurses:

A) Made themselves ill by ingesting poison
B) Made their own children ill by getting them to ingest poison
C) Made themselves ill by injecting blood into their own bladders
D) Made their children ill by injecting blood into their bladders

Question 73

A study by Lim and Kim (2005) suggests that individuals diagnosed with somatization disorder have a memory bias for information related to:

A) Past illnesses
B) Childhood behaviours
C) Physical threats
D) Emotional threats

Question 74

People diagnosed with somatization disorder in DSM-IV would likely meet the criteria for ____________ in DSM-5.

A) Illness anxiety disorder
B) Conversion disorder
C) Somatization disorder
D) Somatic symptom disorder

Question 75

Which of the following is sometimes used as a synonym for somatization disorder?

A) Psychophysiological disorder
B) Psychosomatic disorder
C) Hysteria
D) Briquet's syndrome

Question 76

Chew and colleagues (2002) reported on two Canadian nurses who presented with urinary tract infections that were linked to the purposeful infusion of their blood into their bladders. This type of malingering is associated with:

A) Somatization disorder
B) Factitious disorder
C) Conversion disorder
D) Munchausen by proxy disorder

Question 77

Louise arrived at the emergency room complaining of severe stomach pain. After careful evaluation, it became clear that Louise had purposely given herself food poisoning. She would most likely:

A) Be malingering.
B) Have somatization disorder.
C) Have la belle indifference.
D) Have factitious disorder.

Question 78

A known physical condition which must be ruled out before diagnosing glove anesthesia is:

A) Pre-operative anesthesia
B) Conversion disorder
C) Somatic anesthesia
D) Carpal tunnel syndrome

Question 79

Patients with somatization disorder have been found to have heightened levels of __________ .

A) Cortisol
B) HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androstenedione" Serotonin
C) GABA
D) Epinephrine

Question 80

In the case of Anna O., her conversion symptoms involved her:

A) Left leg.
B) Sexual dysfunction.
C) Her right side, beginning with her arm.
D) Scalp, nose, and lips.