Name:___________________________________________
Instructions: Select the best answer for each question.
1. A colleague at your social work agency asks for your assistance with a diagnosis. She states that she has just begun working with a seven year old boy named Morton who she believes meets criteria for
ADHD because he demonstrates criteria for inattention and hyperactivity (i.e. 6 symptoms each).
Confirming this diagnosis would also require you to know:
A. Where Morton seems to have problems with inattention
B. What times of day Morton seems to have problems with inattention
C. Whether Morton talks excessively, or is “always on the go”
D. What Morton’s behavior was like in the past
E. None of the above
F. A and D
G. A and C
H. B and E
2. While sitting on your front porch you notice that Elmer, a boy in your neighborhood, sometimes loses his temper while playing baseball with the other kids in the yard. You observe him intentionally haranguing kids on the opposing team and playing aggressively. You also notice that while in the outfield he seems to “stare off into space.” He also demanded attention after stealing a base during the 3 rd inning, which culminated in him being the “star of the show.” Being a clinician, you see strong evidence of:
A. Oppositional defiant disorder
B. Conduct disorder
C. ADHD
D. Histrionic personality disorder
E. No apparent disorder
F. Impulse control disorder NOS (fanaticism type)
3. Martha is seventeen and enjoys poisoning cats as a hobby. You need more information to make a diagnosis, but you immediately suspect:
A. Oppositional defiant disorder
B. Conduct disorder
C. ADHD
D. Reactive attachment disorder
E. No apparent disorder
F. Retributive attachment disorder (feline type)
1

4. Jethro used to be in a professional band, but he doesn’t play much anymore and is unemployed, mainly due to marijuana use, which occupies a good portion of each day (smoking, buying, etc.). He tried to cut down a few times over the years but was unable, and tends to smoke more than he wants to. He usually doesn’t smoke marijuana while driving (but has one DUI). There is no evidence of tolerance or withdrawal, the problem is most likely:
A. Substance abuse (Marijuana)
B. Substance dependence (Marijuana)
C. Substance addiction (Marijuana)
D. Substance use (Marijuana)
5. While studying for your psychopathology exam at Z’s Coffee, a fellow patron, Hank, strikes up a conversation about Nietzche’s conception of the “herd” mentality. Recognizing that Hank is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is, you quickly redirect the conversation to the coffee. Hank states that he drinks “a good pot a day” and suspects he is a “coffee addict.” Being a spry diagnostician, you say:
A. “Sir, I believe you may indeed have a diagnosable coffee disorder”
B. “Hank, I’m listening and I care. Caffeine dependence disorder can be difficult”
C. “Dude, don’t worry, there’s no such thing”
D. “Well, Nietzche didn’t drink coffee, he insisted upon tea, as it is better for the mind. You, however, seem insufferably narcissistic”
6. Your new client, Ethel, states that she thinks she has “manic-depression.” She proceeds to tell you that for several weeks she has had an expansive and irritable mood, that her self esteem seems inflated, that she doesn’t need much sleep anymore, that her thoughts seem to race, and that she goes on shopping sprees nearly every day now. You rule out a hypomanic episode because:
A. Her friends and family don’t concur with her symptom description
B. Her friends and family all watch “Dancing with the Stars”
C. There are no substances involved
D. You recognize Martha from Z’s and you remember that she displayed symptoms of social impairment
E. Her friends all agree that Martha has a problem
7. Eugene had a manic episode last year. Therefore he currently cannot be diagnosed with:
A. Schizotypal personality disorder
B. Major depressive disorder
C. Bipolar disorder I
D. Mood disorder due to a general medical condition
8. Cyclothymia requires the presence of hypomania and moderate depression for at least:
A. Two weeks
B. Two months
C. Two years
D. Two days
9. The main difference between bipolar I and bipolar II disorders is that:
A. Bipolar I is not as severe
B. Bipolar I doesn’t include hypomania
2

C. Bipolar II doesn’t include hypomania
D. Bipolar I can’t include severe depression
E. Bipolar II doesn’t include mania
F. Bipolar I doesn’t include mania
10. Your client, Helga, has bipolar I disorder. She has had 5 mood episodes in the last year. This would be specified as:
A. Atypical for bipolar disorder
B. Seasonal
C. Rapid cycling
D. Chronic
E. Rapid alternation
11. Judd is a “couch surfer” by night, who by day likes to frequent public places such as Z’s Coffee or
Henry’s, and generally hangs out on Mass. St. because he gets anxious when alone. He states that he
“feels panicky” even when he has to shower, etc. by himself. Judd probably has
A. Social phobia
B. dependent personality disorder
C. Agoraphobia
D. Shower phobia
E. Caffeine intoxication
12. Ingrid is fairly unrelenting in her desire to have order. She arranges and re-arranges her books, dishes and clothes, often demanding her partner’s cooperation in this process. On a recent vacation they fought instead of having fun, mainly because Ingrid insisted that everything be planned out properly (while she wasn’t working via iphone, that is), and her partner just wanted to “go with the flow.” Without further information, the diagnosis most consistent with Ingrid’s behavior would be:
A. Obsessive compulsive personality disorder
B. Obsessive compulsive disorder
C. Generalized anxiety disorder
D. Social phobia
E. Delusional disorder
13. Brutus and Gretchen are two step-siblings in a mixed family comprised of two parents, and a total of four children (2 boys and 2 girls). Gretchen, 13, recently got into trouble for smoking cigarettes behind the school. She also decided to drop out of the school play last semester. Brutus and Gretchen are constantly fighting over everything and it is becoming a major stress on the family. Brutus, 14, has been experimenting with Buddhist meditation and thinks he might be the next big guru to appear on Oprah as a child meditation star. He has recently disobeyed his step-mother and avoided church to hang out with his new friends. He also likes to be the center of attention and is usually dramatic about things. Gretchen, other than occasionally smoking with her friends, stays home alone, seems sullen and uninterested in relationships with the family. So far you can be sure about:
A. Gretchen’s avoidant personality disorder
B. Gretchen’s schizoid personality disorder
C. Brutus’s histrionic personality disorder
D. Brutus’s schizotypal personality disorder
E. A sibling relational problem
3

F. A and E
G. C and E
14. An individual with generalized anxiety disorder is generally:
A. Anxious
B. Depressed
C. Psychotic
D. Manic
15. Gunter states that he usually deals with anxiety-producing thoughts by deciding to “stuff it.” This would denote:
A. Repression
B. Idealization
C. Projection
D. Suppression
E. Projective identification
16. A diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder requires:
A. A period of delusions and hallucinations for at least two weeks
B. A period of delusions and hallucinations for at least two weeks, without prominent mood symptoms
C. A period of delusions or hallucinations for at least two weeks
D. a period of delusions or hallucinations for at least two weeks, without prominent mood symptoms
17. The phrase “If they’re too close, don’t diagnose” means:
A. It is okay to diagnose self/friends/family with mental health disorders, but be sure to avoid “dual relationships”
B. It is okay to diagnose self/friends/family with mental health disorders because trained professionals can be objective
C. It is okay to share your diagnoses of self/friends/family with self/friends/family, just don’t prescribe medication since this is beyond your professional purview as a social worker
D. It is okay to share information about mental health disorders with friends/family, but avoid diagnosing because in so doing you inevitably form a “dual relationship”
18. How many delusions and/or hallucinations must a person have in order to be diagnosed with schizophrenia?
A. 0
B. 1 – for a period of at least one month
C. 2 – for a period of at least one month
D. At least one delusion OR hallucination must be present for at least one month
E. Both hallucinations AND delusions must be continuous for at least six months
19. Later, at Louise’s…, a fellow patron notices that you are reading the DSM-IV, and strikes up a conversation by casually mentioning that she has been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia. She mentions that prior to stabilizing on medications, she experienced serious hallucinations and delusions for over a month, and still has some residual problems with excessive psychomotor activity nine months later, which are apparent. You smile warmly, understanding that:
4

A. Schizophrenia is a “tough one”
B. She is doing pretty well socially, given the diagnosis with Paranoid Schizophrenia
C. She would likely be classified as “episodic with residual interepisode symptoms”
D. She has been misdiagnosed
20. Noticing your fascinating intellectual conversation about schizophrenia, another patron chimes in stating,“holy cow man, all this mental talk has gotten me seeing groovy colors mixing on the walls, and trippy afterimages!” He says, “I’ve taken a lot of acid in the past, could I be having a flashback?” Your reply is:
A. Yes, that is a diagnosable disorder
B. No, “flashback” is an old “hippie” term indicating nothing in reality
C. Yes, but it is not an actual DSM-IV disorder
D. No, but you are engaged in rudeness interruptus (pub type)
21. Your blind date finally arrives to meet you at Louise’s (albeit 15 minutes late). He introduces himself as Ollie Swensen III, and sits down. He doesn’t seem terribly impressed with you initially, but seems to perk up when you mention that you are working on a master level degree at KU. He explains that he would probably be a doctor by now but his ideas about disease processes tend to be too contemporary to fit into some plebian medical perspective controlled by drug companies anyway. He now works at the
Lawrence Journal-World. He never did say exactly what he does, other than he expects to be promoted to upper management soon. You are impressed by his charming demeanor and his apparently astute insights into important people and goings on in Lawrence. He invites you to join him for dinner and won’t take no for an answer. After considering your negative ‘gut instinct,’ you decide this person has some serious social deficits that probably cause significant impairment in various areas of his life. You decide that you are not interested in seeing those played out in any way in your life, and while this is a brief social meeting and not a diagnostic session, you suspect this person might have:
A. Antisocial personality disorder
B. Narcissistic personality disorder
C. Bipolar II disorder
D. Schizotypal personality disorder
E. Histrionic personality disorder
22. In one or two short paragraphs, offer two specific points of critique of the DSM-IV and/or the medical model. (the space provided should be sufficient)
5

23. Some psychotropic medication side effects can become permanent. These would most likely include:
A. Sexual side effects of SSRIs
B. Tardive dyskinesias of antipsychotics
C. Hair loss and weight gain due to 2 st generation antipsychotics
D. Hypertension and nervousness due to SSRIs
24. Some psychoactive medications aren’t used as much presently (or they are not used for what they were originally prescribed for) as more recently developed drugs. One exception would be:
A. Lithium
B. Trazodone
C. Depakote
D. Vyvance
25. Gus, a new client, tells you that he has been taking Naltrexone to help him cut down on alcohol consumption. He explains that he definitely won’t drink at all while on this drug because the doctor said it would make him extremely ill. Assuming that Gus heard and understood the doctor correctly, you understand that Gus’s doctor:
A. Has prescribed the wrong drug for alcohol issues
B. Probably has some financial investment in several local bars
C. Is wrong about Naltrexone making Gus sick if he drinks
D. Should probably have prescribed disulfiram because it inhibits the pleasurable experiences associated with alcohol consumption
6