Abnormal psychology

Question

Q1: Which of the following is most accurate?

A.Extant research clearly demonstrated the etiology of gender dysphoria to be predominantly social

B.Extant research has not clearly demonstrated the etiology of gender dysphoria

C.Extant research clearly demonstrated the etiology of gender dysphoria to be predominantly emotional

D.Extant research clearly demonstrated the etiology of gender dysphoria to be predominantly biological

Q2: Which of the following is most accurate?

A.It is unlikely for females with low level of sexual interest to experience orgasm.

B.Female sexual distress is mostly related to physiological problems such as insufficient lubrication or inability to reach orgasm.

C.It is not unlikely for males with erectile dysfunction to have typical level of sexual desire.

D.Male sexual distress is mostly related to unsatisfying emotional bonding with the partner during sexual activities.

Q3: Which of the following is most consistent with the diagnosis of a paraphilic disorder?

A.Jay derives much pleasure from dressing as the opposite sex over the weekend. Jay’s friends find Jay charming and fashionable in doing so.

B.X raped 10 women over the course of several years. He claimed to have difficulty finding sexual partners and controlling his sexual impulses.

C.Jane is aroused by other people’s feet; she stares at people’s feet on the beach and finds opportunities to touch them. Last week, she took off someone’s sandal and rubbed the person’s foot on the subway; then she ran away.

D.Steve is aroused by beating his blind-folded girlfriend, who enjoys the process as well.

Q4: Which of the following is most ACCURATE?

A.Anorexia nervosa is socially constructed and unlikely to have measurable physical impact on the person

B.While most anorexic cases are females, the more severe ones are males

C.Individuals with anorexia nervosa typically have difficulties in losing weight despite their efforts

D.Denial of being underweight is common among individuals with anorexia nervosa

Q5: Celine is a ballerina and is very cautious about gaining weight, especially before performances. She follows a strict diet and calculates her daily intake of calories, according to the advice of a dietitian. She avoids banquets but on occasions, especially when she celebrates with family and friends, she would agree to go to buffets or have a big feast. After deviating from her usual practice and eating a large amount of food, she would feel a bit guilty and go back to her regular practice of being cautious with her caloric intake. Her BMI is slightly below the recommended range but she deems it necessary for her profession. What is the most appropriate diagnosis for Celine?

A.Bulimia Nervosa

B.Binge-Eating Disorder

C.Anorexia Nervosa

D.None of the above

Q6: Stephanie is very ashamed of being slightly overweight. She tends to go between starving herself and binge-eating. What would you suggest her family do?

A.Tell her that unless she exercises, she would always be overweight even though she starves herself

B.Give her negative consequences when she starves herself or binge-eats

C.Spend time with her doing things she enjoys even though it is unrelated to eating

D.Remind her every day that she’s overweight so that she won’t binge-eat

Answer 1

Q1: Which of the following is most accurate?

1. Answer: B.Extant research has not clearly demonstrated the etiology of gender dysphoria.
2. Gender dysphoria has no clear, concrete etiology. It is a complex phenomenon with wide variation between individuals as to what has caused it. The etiology of gender dysphoria can be summarized as a complex mixture of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Q2: Which of the following is most accurate?

1. Answer: A.It is unlikely for females with low level of sexual interest to experience orgasm.
2. Females with low level of sexual interest will often have more difficulty experiencing sufficient sexual arousal in order to experience orgasm.
3. Female sexual distress is statistically most attributed to psychiatric challenges rather than physiological challenges.
4. It is typical for males with erectile dysfunction to have a lower than average level of sexual desire, either as a result of erectile dysfunction or as a contributing factor to erectile dysfunction.
5. Male sexual distress is mostly attributed to physiological challenges, such as ED, rather than emotional bonding challenges.

Q3: Which of the following is most consistent with the diagnosis of a paraphilic disorder?

1. Answer: C.Jane is aroused by other people’s feet; she stares at people’s feet on the beach and finds opportunities to touch them. Last week, she took off someone’s sandal and rubbed the person’s foot on the subway; then she ran away.
2. Jane's behavior is indicative of a paraphilic disorder(s) such as fetishistic disorder or frotteuristic disorder. She has an obsessive arousal from a body part other than the genitals, which indicates a fetish, and she often engages in nonconsensual touching of other people's body parts as a result of this fetish, which can cause harm to others and legal/social issues for her.
3. Another possible answer is "B.X raped 10 women over the course of several years. He claimed to have difficulty finding sexual partners and controlling his sexual impulses." This could be interpreted as sexual sadism disorder. However, this is less indicative of a paraphilic disorder because X doesn't indicate a specific desire or arousal from causing harm to others and doesn't indicate guilt or shame due to this behavior; his motive indicates more of an issue with entitlement, power and impulse control. This seems more along the lines of antisocial personality disorder due to the clear lack of conscience, lack of remorse and disregard for the rights of others in order to fulfill his own sexual desires.

Q4: Which of the following is most ACCURATE?

1. D.Denial of being underweight is common among individuals with anorexia nervosa
2. Individuals with anorexia nervosa often fail to recognize that they are underweight due to the comorbidity of body dysmorphia. More often than not, individuals with anorexia nervosa may still believe that they are "too fat" and need to lose more weight even when they are severely underweight.
3. The other options are all very inaccurate. Anorexia nervosa has a severe, life-threatening physical impact on the person, with the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder due to the physical health complications. While it is true that most people with anorexia nervosa are females, there is no measurable difference in severity between genders. Individuals with anorexia nervosa usually lose a large amount of weight in a short period of time, however there are some exceptions, but it is inaccurate to say that having difficulty losing weight is "typical".

Q5: Celine is a ballerina and is very cautious about gaining weight, especially before performances. She follows a strict diet and calculates her daily intake of calories, according to the advice of a dietitian. She avoids banquets but on occasions, especially when she celebrates with family and friends, she would agree to go to buffets or have a big feast. After deviating from her usual practice and eating a large amount of food, she would feel a bit guilty and go back to her regular practice of being cautious with her caloric intake. Her BMI is slightly below the recommended range but she deems it necessary for her profession. What is the most appropriate diagnosis for Celine?

1. Answer: D.None of the above
2. Celine may engage in some behaviors that may come across as eating disordered behaviors, however the key points here are that she is following the advice of a dietitian, she is not restricting her intake to an unhealthy degree, she is not experiencing a lack of control over her eating behaviors, and she isn't experiencing any clinically significant distress or functional impairment. Due to those factors, she wouldn't meet the criteria for an eating disorder.

Q6: Stephanie is very ashamed of being slightly overweight. She tends to go between starving herself and binge-eating. What would you suggest her family do?

1. Answer: C.Spend time with her doing things she enjoys even though it is unrelated to eating
2. This is the only healthy, supportive response for her family to give. This response can show Stephanie that she is worthy of being loved and capable of doing things she enjoys, regardless of her weight or eating disorder.
3. The other options are all very harmful ways of responding to Stephanie's behavior. Punishing someone for their eating disordered behavior only reinforces the idea that they deserve to be punished and that they are "bad" or "wrong", has a negative impact on their self-esteem, and will most likely just cause them to hide their behavior more effectively. Telling someone with an eating disorder that they are overweight and will never be able to lose weight is abusive and can only serve to worsen their eating disorder symptoms.