Question 1

Conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder)is usually characterized by:

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder typically presents with sensory and motor deficits, such as paralysis or loss of sensation, that cannot be fully explained by a physical medical condition. While pain can also be a symptom of conversion disorder, it is not the primary characteristic. Loss of memory and multiple personalities are not typically associated with conversion disorder.

Question 2

People with conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder):

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder, now known as functional neurological symptom disorder, involves experiencing physical symptoms that are inconsistent with or cannot be fully explained by medical or neurological conditions. Patients often struggle with accepting that their symptoms have a psychological basis, which can make treatment challenging. They may not necessarily seek psychological treatment initially, as they experience physical symptoms. Awareness of a traumatic experience is not a criterion for diagnosis, and identifying with multiple personalities relates to dissociative identity disorder, not conversion disorder.

Question 3

Factitious disorders are also referred to as

Accepted Answer

Factitious disorders are also known as Munchhausen's syndrome, named after Baron Munchhausen, a German nobleman known for telling exaggerated stories about his life experiences. People with factitious disorders intentionally produce physical or psychological symptoms in themselves to gain attention or sympathy from others.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true of conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder)?

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder, also known as functional neurological symptom disorder, typically involves the sudden onset of neurological symptoms such as paralysis or blindness that cannot be explained by a medical condition. These symptoms often develop after a trauma or psychological stressor, such as a car accident or the death of a loved one. Therefore, statement A is true. Statement B is false, as conversion disorder is relatively rare. Statement C is debated among researchers but is not universally accepted as true. Statement D is also false, as conversion disorder typically involves one or a few symptoms during an episode.

Question 5

People with conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder):

Accepted Answer

People with conversion disorder have symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory function, such as weakness or paralysis, blindness, or seizures. The other options are not necessarily true for individuals with this disorder.

Question 6

Lorna found her husband dead in their bedroom.He had been shot in the chest.After this incident, Lorna has been unable to see.Lorna is most likely exhibiting a symptom of ________ disorder.

Accepted Answer

Lorna's inability to see is most likely a conversion symptom, which involves the manifestation of physical symptoms that cannot be explained by a medical condition. In this case, the trauma of finding her husband dead may have resulted in the conversion of emotional distress into a physical symptom, such as blindness. Dissociative disorder involves disruptions in consciousness, memory, and identity, but it is not the best choice for this scenario. Factitious disorder involves intentional production or feigning of symptoms for attention or other motives, which does not appear to be the case for Lorna. Malingering involves intentionally feigning or exaggerating symptoms for external gain, which is also not applicable in this scenario.

Question 7

Freud and his contemporaries viewed conversion symptoms as the result of:

Accepted Answer

Freud and his contemporaries believed that conversion symptoms were a result of the transfer of psychic energy from repressed emotions or memories to physical symptoms. This means that the patient is unable to consciously express their emotions, so their unconscious state creates physical symptoms as a way to cope with their emotional distress.

Question 8

According to Freud's explanation of the conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder), which of the following best describes secondary gain?

Accepted Answer

According to Freud, secondary gain refers to the benefits or rewards that a person gains as a result of their conversion symptoms. This could include attention, sympathy, financial gain or the avoidance of a difficult situation. Option B is the most accurate description of secondary gain as it highlights the attention and sympathy that come with the symptom complaints.

Question 9

Which of the following are the diagnostic criteria for conversion disorder?

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder, according to the DSM-5, requires the presence of at least one symptom of altered motor or sensory function that cannot be explained by medical or neurological conditions, and is not better explained by another mental disorder, which matches the description in option D.

Question 10

Which of the following has been linked by research to somatic symptom disorder?

Accepted Answer

Research has found a link between childhood physical and sexual abuse and somatic symptom disorder. Substance abuse and anorexia nervosa are not directly linked to this disorder, and Axis 1 disorders can co-occur with somatic symptom disorder but are not necessarily a cause of it.

Question 11

________ treatments for conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder)focus on relieving the person's anxiety around the initial trauma that caused the conversion symptoms and on reducing any benefits the person is receiving from the conversion symptoms.

Accepted Answer

Behavioral treatments, such as exposure therapy and operant conditioning, have been found to be effective in reducing conversion symptoms by addressing the underlying anxiety and reinforcing positive behaviors that do not involve the conversion symptoms. The other options, while potentially helpful in treating other mental health disorders, are not as targeted or specific to addressing the symptoms of conversion disorder.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true of conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder)?

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder, also known as functional neurological symptom disorder, involves symptoms of altered motor or sensory function that are inconsistent with recognized neurological or medical conditions. Research suggests that impaired connectivity between sensory or motor areas of the brain may contribute to the manifestation of conversion disorder, indicating a neurological basis for the symptoms even though they do not align with the patterns of symptoms seen in neurological diseases traditionally diagnosed through physical examination and testing.

Question 13

Mary created an illness in her younger daughter to draw attention to herself.This is known as a

Accepted Answer

Factitious disorder imposed on another, previously known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, is when a caregiver or parent fabricates or induces an illness in another person to gain attention or sympathy for themselves. In this scenario, Mary creating an illness in her daughter to draw attention to herself fits the description of factitious disorder imposed on another.

Question 14

Cognitive therapies for somatic symptom disorder focus on:

Accepted Answer

Cognitive therapies for somatic symptom disorder aim to challenge the client's maladaptive interpretations of physical symptoms and teach them techniques for appropriate interpretations. This is done by helping the client to identify and challenge their negative thoughts and beliefs about their physical symptoms. The focus is on changing the client's thinking patterns, rather than on punishing negative behavior.

Question 15

Jaclyn has been complaining for several weeks that she has lost all feeling in her right hand.A medical examination revealed no nerve damage.However, Jaclyn insists that something is wrong because she feels as though she has on a tight glove.Jaclyn is mostly experiencing ________ anesthesia associated with ________.

Accepted Answer

Jaclyn is experiencing glove anesthesia, a common symptom in conversion disorder (also known as functional neurological symptom disorder), which involves experiencing physical symptoms without any detectable physical cause. This is different from local or regional anesthesia, which typically occurs with actual nerve damage, and general anesthesia, which is a temporary loss of consciousness during a medical procedure. Additionally, Jaclyn's persistent complaints despite a lack of objective findings suggest that she may have somatic symptom disorder, which involves excessive preoccupation with physical symptoms and health concerns.

Question 16

Some researchers are concerned that the criteria for diagnosing somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder lump too many different syndromes together, and risk mislabeling ________ as mental illness.

Accepted Answer

Somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder may mislabel physical illnesses as mental illnesses, which can lead to inappropriate treatments or lack of medical attention for actual physical ailments.

Question 17

It was observed during the two world wars that many soldiers would report to have become inexplicably paralyzed or blind and therefore were unable to return to the front.Most of them seemed unconcerned about their paralysis or blindness.This phenomenon is known as

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is known as "la belle indifference," which refers to a lack of concern or emotional distress despite experiencing a serious medical condition or illness. This was observed during the two world wars among soldiers reporting paralysis or blindness.

Question 18

Which of the following somatic symptom disorders is considered to be the most dramatic due to symptoms like blindness, seizures, loss of hearing, and mutism?

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder) is characterized by the presence of neurological symptoms such as blindness, seizures, loss of hearing, and mutism that cannot be explained by a neurological or medical condition. These symptoms are often considered to be the most dramatic of all somatic symptom disorders.

Question 19

More recent treatments for somatic symptom disorder include developing mindfulness and acceptance skills, acceptance and commitment therapy, and

Accepted Answer

Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in treating somatic symptom disorder. It allows individuals to access treatment at their convenience and in the comfort of their own homes. Mindfulness and acceptance skills and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) have also been found to be effective interventions for somatic symptom disorder. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and exposure therapy are not commonly used treatments for this disorder. Ego psychology is a theoretical perspective, not a treatment approach.

Question 20

Candice faked her symptoms to gain medical attention.She exaggerated her symptoms to the point that exploratory surgery was conducted.Candice most likely has a

Accepted Answer

Candice's behavior of faking and exaggerating her symptoms to the point of undergoing an exploratory surgery indicates that she has a factitious disorder imposed on herself. This disorder involves purposely causing or feigning physical or psychological symptoms to gain medical attention and may include undergoing unnecessary procedures or taking medications to maintain the illusion of illness.

Quiz 6: Somatic Symptom and Dissociative Disorders

Conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder) is usually characterized by:

People with conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder) :