Deck 17: Contemporary and Legal Issues in Abnormal Psychology

Question 1

Having skills for effective problem solving, possessing an accurate set of assumptions about oneself, and being prepared for problems one is likely to encounter at various life stages are all requirements for ________

A) cultural adjustment.
B) psychosocial health.
C) biological health.
D) being a candidate for deinstitutionalization.

Answer 1

psychosocial health.

Question 2

Why has the attempt to reduce the drug supply from other countries not reduced the rate of adolescent substance abuse?

A) Most smugglers are still able to find a way to bring drugs in.
B) Local residents account for most of the illegal drug traffic.
C) The drugs most abused by adolescents are alcohol and tobacco, which are easily available.
D) Drug abusers are traveling to other countries to obtain their supply.

Answer 2

The drugs most abused by adolescents are alcohol and tobacco, which are easily available.

Question 3

A group of professional educators and counselors met to discuss prevention efforts in a neighborhood school district. Which of the following would be the most effective way to prevent adolescent alcohol and other drug use?

A) Classroom education
B) Mass media
C) Internet approach
D) Multicomponent program

Answer 3

Multicomponent program

Question 4

Efforts to counterbalance the social factors that entice adolescent binge drinking are examples of ________

A) selective interventions.
B) crisis interventions.
C) indicated interventions.
D) social-learning programs.

Question 5

The concepts of universal, selective, and indicated interventions were widely used by ________

A) psychodynamic therapists to describe ways of reducing neurotic anxiety.
B) city planners to describe ways of eliminating crime and other social problems.
C) public health experts to describe ways of preventing disease.
D) developmental psychologists to describe problems that occur in early, middle, and later childhood.

Question 6

Mrs. Lloyd is a school principal considering several school-based interventions promising to teach children to avoid drugs and alcohol. She decides against the well-known D.A.R.E. program because _________

A) D.A.R.E. has only been in use for two years and so has no track record.
B) D.A.R.E.only addresses alcohol and not drugs.
C) D.A.R.E. only addresses drugs and not alcohol.
D) D.A.R.E. has not proven successful.

Question 7

Which of the following is a sociocultural effort toward universal prevention of psychological disorders?

A) Public education
B) Teaching adolescents not to use drugs
C) Hospitalizing the mentally ill
D) Deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill

Question 8

Although the rate of adolescent substance use has decreased, ________

A) tobacco use has been eliminated.
B) binge drinking has not.
C) alcohol and tobacco use remains a persistent problem.
D) adult use has increased.

Question 9

The school-based intervention program called DARE has been shown to be ________

A) highly effective
B) largely not effective
C) effective only in some stated.
D) effective only with upper middle class students

Question 10

What is the goal of school-based drug and alcohol education programs?

A) To teach children how to recognize the drugs that they might be exposed to
B) To ensure that children are educated consumers
C) To teach children about drugs so that they can make informed choices
D) To scare children away from using drugs

Question 11

Universal interventions are concerned with two key tasks: ________ and ________

A) identifying people with a particular disorder; referring them for help.
B) providing timely therapy; evaluating its usefulness.
C) strengthening individuals' psychological coping skills; improving their biological health.
D) altering conditions that cause disorders; establishing conditions that foster positive mental health.

Question 12

Efforts at reducing racism as a means of preventing mental illness would be a(n) ________ intervention.

A) universal
B) selective
C) indicated
D) tertiary

Question 13

Why are extracurricular strategies so important?

A) They provide middle-class youth with a place to go.
B) They provide counseling and medical attention after school.
C) They provide a means of supervision and opportunity for high-risk teens.
D) They provide an opportunity to meet with teachers and go over schoolwork.

Question 14

Why is it important to prevent teen alcohol use?

A) Teens are more susceptible to alcoholism than adults.
B) Most teens who drink go on to do "harder drugs."
C) Teens are more prone to violence while drinking than adults.
D) Early alcohol use is associated with later alcohol abuse and dependence.

Question 15

Which of the following is a sociocultural effort toward universal prevention of mental disorders?

A) Daycare.
B) Penal systems.
C) Private schools.
D) Social security.

Question 16

A review of the research in reducing depression in children concludes that ________ programs are more effective than ________ programs in reducing the extent of depressive disorders.

A) psychosocial; biological
B) biological; selective intervention
C) universal; psychosocial
D) selective intervention; universal

Question 17

Which of the following might be a component of a biologically based universal strategy for preventing mental illness?

A) Identifying people with a particular disorder and referring them for help
B) Determining whether or not there is a family history of mental illness
C) Encouraging regular physical activity
D) Offering tuberculosis testing

Question 18

Family-oriented alcohol prevention programs have been developed because ________

A) teen views of alcohol typically reflect those of their parents.
B) most underage alcohol use occurs at home.
C) parents need to help their children resist peer pressure.
D) teen drinking frequently starts when problems in the home have become unmanageable.

Question 19

Which of the following is a requirement for psychosocial health?

A) High socioeconomic status
B) Having sound moral judgment
C) Having a realistic view of oneself
D) Being a member of a religious organization

Question 20

"Efforts that are aimed at influencing the general population" best describes ________

A) crisis interventions.
B) universal interventions.
C) selective interventions.
D) indicated interventions.

Question 21

Community-based treatment programs are now referred to as ________

A) crisis intervention.
B) deinstitutionalization.
C) aftercare programs.
D) managed care initiatives.

Question 22

Community-based facilities that provide aftercare are typically run by ________

A) the residents themselves.
B) mental health professionals.
C) trained paraprofessionals.
D) community activists.

Question 23

Indicated prevention emphasizes ________

A) education efforts to an entire population regardless of the individual's social situation.
B) the early detection and prompt treatment of maladaptive behavior in a person's community setting.
C) teaching social skills and problem solving as a way of improving self-esteem.
D) genetic screening.

Question 24

In order for community-based aftercare for psychiatric patients to be successful ________

A) there must be a crisis intervention component.
B) milieu methods must be used rather than social-learning methods.
C) the facilities must be run by mental health professionals.
D) the staff must provide a secure environment.

Question 25

Dr. Jones says, "These projects have clearly shown a promising path toward reducing the extent of substance abuse in young people." What is Dr. Jones talking about?

A) Projects that combine different intervention strategies
B) Projects that involve the interdiction or reduction in supply of drugs
C) Projects that contradict the movies and TV commercials that glamorize drugs
D) Projects that use teachers to tell students why drugs are bad for their health

Question 26

Which of the following is a barrier to effective deinstitutionalization?

A) Society's desire to free previously confined persons
B) The use of antipsychotic medications
C) The lack of sufficient mental health services in the community
D) Deinstitutionalized patients do not fair better than those who remain hospitalized

Question 27

Which of the following is a characteristic of a therapeutic community?

A) Individual responsibility
B) Minimal interaction amongst the patients
C) Extensive use of medications
D) Many restrictions

Question 28

A major difference between social-learning programs and milieu therapy is that social-learning programs ________

A) are never provided in mental hospitals.
B) require each patient to be involved in groups that "govern" the ward.
C) expect patients to care for one another.
D) target specific behaviors for reinforcement.

Question 29

Which of the following is a criticism of the use of token economies?

A) They are ineffective.
B) They are inconsistent with how the real world works.
C) The patient is not an active part of the treatment process.
D) It is inhumane to expect a mental patient to behave in accordance with an established schedule of reinforcements.

Question 30

Project Northland demonstrated that ________

A) a psychotherapist's involvement is the key ingredient in most drug prevention efforts.
B) the development of peer pressure resistance skills can decrease drug use by 44 percent.
C) there is no way of counteracting the positive representation of drugs in the media.
D) community-wide "no use" norms for teens can be taught.

Question 31

Which of the following is an element of "milieu therapy"?

A) Systematic desensitization.
B) Patients are encouraged to participate in making decisions.
C) Teaching social skills and problem solving.
D) Challenging irrational thoughts.

Question 32

While there is little research on the different substance abuse prevention programs, what there is on programs such as Project Northland suggests ________

A) they are extremely successful.
B) they are more effective when they use a multicomponent approach.
C) they are effective for children and adolescents who have not already started using.
D) they are effective for non-minority children and adolescents only.

Question 33

Combined prevention programs that educate about drugs and teach skills needed to refuse alcohol and drug use demands ________

A) are more successful than one single approach.
B) are rarely as successful as family-based programs.
C) are most effective when targeted at college students.
D) are not as successful as classroom education.

Question 34

In a study by Paul and Lentz designed to assess the effectiveness of different approaches to the treatment of chronically hospitalized patients, what treatment approach was found to yield the best results?

A) Milieu therapy
B) Social learning
C) Traditional mental hospital treatments
D) Psychotherapy alone

Question 35

In order to prevent long-term consequences, ________ interventions are provided immediately after a disaster such as a plane crash.

A) universal
B) indicated
C) education
D) selective

Question 36

For which person is aftercare likely to be helpful because the person will fit the services typically offered?

A) Bart, who has a lengthy criminal record
B) Helen, who has developed posttraumatic stress disorder after being attacked
C) Ned, who has had several schizophrenic episodes
D) Vera, who has few psychological problems but who frequently moves from place to place

Question 37

The most recent research on deinstitutionalization has found ________

A) inpatient hospitalization has been increasing due to the failures to provide adequate care in the community.
B) inpatient hospitalization has continued to decrease, despite an increase in problems as a result.
C) inpatient hospitalization has continued to decrease and communities have stepped up their response to improve outpatient care.
D) inpatient hospitalization has been increasing due to increasing numbers of mentally ill.

Question 38

Dr. McDougal's specialty is forensic psychology. We can imagine that she ________

A) provides preventive services to prevent criminal behavior.
B) is concerned with the legal status of the people with mental illness.
C) does research on the impact of deinstitutionalization.
D) works for a managed care organization.

Question 39

Which of the following was an unforeseen consequence of deinstitutionalization?

A) An increased demand on the welfare system
B) Abuses of antipsychotic and anxiolytic medications
C) The need for mental health services in the community
D) A rise in homelessness

Question 40

At Rush General, the inpatient mental ward employs a program that focuses on modifying the behavior of the patients by giving them gold stars for good behavior and ignoring undesirable behavior. What type of treatment program does this appear to be?

A) Milieu therapy
B) Social learning
C) Traditional mental hospital treatments
D) Psychotherapy alone

Question 41

In most states that have a Tarasoff-type rule, when a client threatens someone, a therapist must ________

A) make a reasonable effort to warn potential victims.
B) continue trying to warn potential victims until he or she reaches them.
C) not break confidentiality.
D) warn as many people who know the client as possible.

Question 42

What doctrine came out of the original Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California et al. case?

A) Treatment in the least restrictive environment
B) The duty to warn
C) The right-versus-wrong principle in insanity cases
D) The duty to protect

Question 43

What was unusual about the Hinckley case?

A) He used the insanity defense.
B) The public believed that he did not need to pay for his crime.
C) He was successful in pleading the insanity defense.
D) His petitions for release have been consistently denied.

Question 44

Which of the following can be committed against their will to a psychiatric hospital?

A) Carole, who has schizophrenia and will not take her medications because they make her feel ill.
B) Tina, who has schizophrenia and is homeless.
C) Kathie, who has schizophrenia and has been threatening to hurt people on the street.
D) Any of these three, schizophrenia is a serious enough disorder for the person to be forced into the hospital.

Question 45

One difference between voluntary hospitalization and involuntary commitment is that people who are in the hospital voluntarily ________

A) need to be assessed as dangerous to themselves or others.
B) can, with sufficient notice, leave the hospital when they want to.
C) are eligible for aftercare services following treatment.
D) must be treated in the least restrictive environment.

Question 46

The Tarasoff rule usually applies ________

A) anytime a client threatens to do a violent act.
B) only to violent acts against people.
C) only if the target of violence is clearly identifiable.
D) only if the client has given an informed consent.

Question 47

Suppose a family is quite alarmed about the threatening behavior of a relative. They want to petition the court for commitment but there is no time to get a court order. What option does the family have?

A) None. They must wait until there is a court evaluation of the person's dangerousness.
B) They can ask the police to declare the person "insane."
C) After getting a physician to state that the person is dangerous, they can have the police pick up and detain the person for up to 72 hours.
D) After getting a police officer to examine the person, they can require the person's attendance in a crisis intervention program.

Question 48

What kind of mistake do most mental health professionals make when assessing dangerousness?

A) They overemphasize the importance of situational factors.
B) They overpredict violence.
C) They underestimate the likelihood of violence in psychotic patients.
D) They make many "false negatives."

Question 49

Although the most disordered persons show no tendency toward violence, an increased risk of violence is likely among those who ________

A) currently experience psychotic symptoms.
B) have been extremely emotionally rigid in the past.
C) have just experienced a natural or man-made form of disaster.
D) are religiously preoccupied.

Question 50

Under what circumstances can a therapist violate a client's confidence?

A) When someone is in danger
B) When a crime has been committed several years ago
C) Only when the client gives permission
D) Never

Question 51

Once a person is committed to a mental hospital ________

A) he or she must establish their sanity before they can be released.
B) he or she must participate in whatever treatment is prescribed.
C) the hospital must report to the court as to whether or not continued confinement is necessary.
D) the court establishes the minimum treatment necessary as indicated by testimony from two examiners.

Question 52

Which phrase best captures how well mental health professionals do in predicting the occurrence of dangerous acts?

A) Exceedingly well, especially if the person has a diagnosed mental condition
B) Rather well, as long as the patient provides honest information
C) Miserably poorly, especially with people who are actively schizophrenic or delusional
D) Not as well as we would like

Question 53

Once a person has been involuntarily committed to a mental institution, he or she ________

A) may refuse treatment.
B) may refuse medication but not therapy.
C) may refuse therapy but not medication.
D) may not refuse treatment.

Question 54

The underlying basis of the insanity defense is ________

A) people who have a mental illness should not be punished.
B) people who have a mental illness cannot ever form the intent needed to commit a crime, so shouldn't be punished.
C) some people who have a mental illness are not able to fully comprehend their behavior, so are not able to form the needed intent for a crime, so should not be punished.
D) even if they had the required intent for a crime, the mentally ill still shouldn't be punished.

Question 55

Predicting dangerousness is most comparable to ________

A) preparing a team for a sports competition.
B) reviewing for a comprehensive examination.
C) figuring your taxes at the end of the year.
D) preparing a weather forecast.

Question 56

Emergency hospitalization without a commitment hearing is permitted when ________

A) a judge declares that imminent danger exists.
B) the person to be hospitalized has a criminal history.
C) the person to be hospitalized is found to be insane.
D) a physician signs a formal statement saying that imminent danger exists.

Question 57

One of the main reasons it is so hard to predict future dangerousness is ________

A) there are no psychological tests to help measure dangerousness.
B) most potentially violent people refuse to talk to therapists.
C) there is very little research into who becomes violent and who doesn't, and why.
D) situational circumstances play as large a role as an individual's personality traits.

Question 58

What is one of the best predictors of future violence?

A) Compliance with treatment
B) Past history of violence
C) Family support
D) Employment history

Question 59

Homicidal behavior amongst former patients is greatest with a diagnosis of ________

A) alcoholism.
B) bipolar depression.
C) major depression.
D) schizophrenia.

Question 60

Tarasoff-style laws are ________

A) in every state.
B) in a minority of states.
C) in a majority of states but vary quite a bit.
D) no longer law in most states.

Question 61

Why did World War II lead to a greater recognition of the pervasiveness of mental illness?

A) Over 70 percent of veterans suffered from either PTSD or substance abuse after the war.
B) Many women developed psychiatric conditions when left to raise families and make a living on their own.
C) Two out of seven potential military recruits were rejected for psychiatric reasons.
D) The military was unable to provide adequate mental health services to men in the field.

Question 62

An attorney says, "My client has a mental disorder that made it impossible, at the time of the crime, to have intended to do harm. Because of this, he is not legally responsible for his actions." The attorney is arguing for ________

A) involuntary commitment.
B) the Tarasoff principle.
C) deinstitutionalization of his client.
D) an insanity defense.

Question 63

Darryl has schizophrenia, disorganized type. He has visual hallucinations, and one day he saw a giant bug standing in front of him. He picked up a large knife and stabbed it. In reality, Darryl stabbed his mother who had come to tell him dinner was ready. His lawyer argues that Darryl cannot be found guilty because he had no idea what he was doing or that it was wrong. His lawyer is arguing the ________

A) M'Naghten rule.
B) Durham rule.
C) irresistible impulse rule.
D) American Law Institute standard.

Question 64

A typical defense strategy, to try to counteract public anger about the insanity defense, is to ________

A) portray the defendant as someone who was him- or herself a victim.
B) portray the defendant as suffering terribly from their mental illness.
C) portray the defendant as tremendously likeable.
D) portray the victim as negatively as possible.

Question 65

What is an important function of organizations such as the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the American Medical Association?

A) They fund most of the treatment and prevention research done in the United States.
B) They draw up the policies that determine which clients get treatment and for what duration.
C) They set and maintain professional and ethical standards.
D) They control forensic issues such as the insanity defense and the policies for committing patients against their will.

Question 66

Which of the following was a result of the Federal Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984?

A) It became much easier for defendants to quality for the insanity defense.
B) It narrowed the definition of insanity to the "product test" (Durham Rule).
C) It abolished the "knowing right from wrong" principle.
D) It put the burden of proof on the defense.

Question 67

What do the National Association for Mental Health, The ARC, and Mental Health America have in common?

A) They provide training for psychologists and psychiatrists.
B) They are government-funded organizations that do research on mental disorders and related problems.
C) They try to improve services and educate the government and public about various problems.
D) They increase awareness of work-related stress and its impact on mental health.

Question 68

The Durham Rule ________

A) made the criteria for establishing insanity more objective.
B) focused on the cause of an unlawful act.
C) established that one was sane unless they did not know right from wrong.
D) is often referred to as the "substantial capacity test."

Question 69

According to the M'Naghten Rule, insanity is defined as ________

A) failing to understand the consequences of one's actions.
B) not knowing right from wrong.
C) acting on an irresistible impulse.
D) lacking the capacity to understand that an action violates the law.

Question 70

Why should defense lawyers be cautious about using the insanity defense?

A) It rarely works.
B) Most defendants feign mental illness in order to escape punishment.
C) Hospitalization is not an appropriate consequence for those who have committed violent crimes.
D) No reason-it frequently is successful.

Question 71

Most of NIMH's programs are ________

A) actually planned and run by state and local organizations.
B) actually focused on the prevention of crime rather than mental disorder.
C) designed, controlled, and implemented by the federal government.
D) much larger and better funded than they were in the 1960s and 1970s.

Question 72

Which of the following has the best chance of successfully pleading not guilty by reason of insanity?

A) Tim, who is depressed, has never been hospitalized, and murdered his wife.
B) Ernie, who has schizophrenia, was in the hospital once a long time ago. and murdered three former co-workers.
C) Lori, who has bipolar disorder, has never been hospitalized, and tried to murder a stranger.
D) Susie, who has schizophrenia, has been in and out of hospitals all her life, and tried to break the arm of a romantic rival.

Question 73

Which of the following is true regarding the use of mental health resources in private industry?

A) Private industry typically does not acknowledge the importance of mental health-promoting factors in the work place and therefore dramatically underutilizes mental health resources.
B) Primary prevention programs have been routinely used in private industry for many decades.
C) Many companies have recently begun providing psychological services through employee assistance programs.
D) Psychological services are provided on an extremely limited basis, even at the most elite private corporations.

Question 74

Which of the following activities does NIMH perform?

A) Provides communities with psychologists and psychiatrists who do individual and group therapy
B) Does nationwide universal and selective preventive interventions
C) Pays for the hospital care of the chronically mentally ill
D) Supports professional training and provides the public with information on mental health

Question 75

What percentage of inmates with significant mental health problems return to prison sooner than those without mental health problems?

A) No difference.
B) 10%.
C) 23%.
D) 47%.

Question 76

Which of the following funds research on mental disorders and assists communities in establishing effective mental health services?

A) The National Association for Mental Health (NAMH)
B) The American Psychological Association (APA)
C) Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
D) The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH)

Question 77

The insanity defense is employed in ________ percent of capital cases in the United States.

A) less than 2
B) roughly 10-15
C) 20
D) 33

Question 78

The broadest of the insanity rules is the ________

A) M'Naughten Rule.
B) irresistible impulse rule.
C) Durham Rule.
D) Federal Insanity Defense Reform Act.

Question 79

The verdict of Guilty but Mentally Ill means people with mental illness who are found guilty of a crime ________

A) are put in jail but in a special section.
B) get shorter sentences.
C) go to jail but get mental health treatment while in jail.
D) go to the hospital until they are better, then return to jail to serve out their sentence.

Question 80

Knowing right from wrong is to ________ as "unlawful act was the product of mental disease" is to ________.

A) irresistible impulse; Durham Rule
B) M'Naghten Rule; Durham Rule
C) Durham Rule; M'Naghten Rule
D) M'Naghten Rule; irresistible impulse