Question

Anton’s wife arranged a surprise party for his 30th birthday. When Anton arrived home from work, a number of his friends and family jumped out and yelled ‘surprise!’ Although Anton was very touched by this gesture and happy to see his friends and family, he also felt quite anxious, tense and on-edge. These feelings gradually subsided and he was eventually able to enjoy the party. Anton’s initial feelings of anxiety and tension after being surprised can be best described as what?

A.

An acute stress disorder

B.

A ‘fight or flight’ response

C.

A deficit in effective coping skills

D.

A posttraumatic stress reaction.

1 points   

QUESTION 2

Esther is 66-years-old and has recently been diagnosed as being in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disorder. Esther’s doctor has suggested to her family that they try to provide for Esther a home environment that is calm and very consistent. What may be the primary reason why Esther’s doctor has made this recommendation?

A.

Because Esther’s abilities for resiliency and effective coping have likely been significantly undermined by the recent news that she has Alzheimer’s disorder.

B.

Because a calm home environment is likely to help Esther’s family cope with the fact that she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

C.

Because the research has shown that stress often acts to hasten the progression of Alzheimer’s disorder and avoiding stress can help to slow the disease’s course.

D.

Because individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer’s can become easily confused and maintaining consistency can help to avoid confusion.

1 points   

QUESTION 3

At which stage of Seyle’s General Adaptation Syndrome does the hypothalamus lose its ability to regulate hormone levels, ultimately leading to a potentially damaging overabundance of cortisol?

A.

The Alarm Stage.

B.

The Resistance Stage

C.

The Adrenal Stage

D.

The Exhaustion Stage.

1 points   

QUESTION 4

The DSM-IV has a multiaxial system. In this system a clinical diagnosis is coded along 5 "axes". Axes I and II relate to the mental health and developmental spectrums; Axis III includes the general medical conditions; Axis IV consists of the psychosocial and environmental factors affecting the client; and Axis V is the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) rating for the client. How does the clinician decide which disorders are listed under Axis I and which are under Axis II?

A.

Axis I is mental illness; Axis II is mental retardation

B.

Axis I is organically based disorders: Axis II is psychlogically based disorders

C.

Axis I is clinical disorders and other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention; Axis II is personality disorders and mental retardation

D.

Axis I is the most pervasive disorder: Axis II is the comorbid or secondary disorder

1 points   

QUESTION 5

In regards to psychological diagnosis, what term does the initials ‘NOS’ refer to and when is this term used?

A.

N.O.S. stands for ‘not otherwise specified,’ a term that is used when there are clinically significant symptoms that do not fully meet the criteria for a specific diagnostic category.

B.

N.O.S. stands for ‘not otherwise specified,’ a term that is used when psychological symptoms meet the criteria for more than one psychological disorders.

C.

N.O.S. stands for ‘not of significance,’ a term that is used in situations where there are psychological symptoms that do not significantly impact on an individual’s ability to function.

D.

N.O.S. stands for ‘not of significance,’ a term that is used when there is a co-morbid condition that is not significantly impacting the primary diagnosis.

1 points   

Answer 1

Question 1 - Anton's reaction to the surprise upon his return is a "fight and flight response". It is the reaction, which body presents for perceived harmful event or threat.

Question 2- Because individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer's become easily confused, and maintaining consistency can help to avoid confusion.

Esther's doctor suggesting her family to provide home like environment which is calm and consistent is due to this.

Question 3- In the Alarm stage of the Seyle's General adaptation syndrome, hypothalamus loses its ability to regulate hormones, so for even minor stress, body sends fight or flight reaction.

Question 4- In DSM-IV, Axis I is clinical disorders and other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention. Axis II is personality disorders and mental retardation.

Question 5- NOS refers to not otherwise specified and is a term that is used when there are clinically significant symptoms that do not fully meet the criteria for a specific diagnostic category. It is a subcategory in systems of ICD-9,ICD-10, DSM-IV disorder classification.