Question 1

Historically, "hysteria" was thought to be the result of a
A)dysfunctional ovary.
B)tense vagina.
C)wandering uterus.
D)flip-flopped fallopian tubes.

Accepted Answer

The term "hysteria" comes from the Greek word "hystera," which means uterus. Ancient Greek physicians believed that hysteria was caused by a wandering uterus, or one that had shifted from its proper place in the body. This view persisted throughout history, and for centuries doctors treated women for hysteria by attempting to reposition the uterus through various means, including pelvic massages and fumigation.

Question 2

Globus hystericus, a common conversion disorder symptom, is the sensation of a
A)pain in the neck.
B)swollen kidney.
C)lump in the throat.
D)lump in the breast.

Accepted Answer

Globus hystericus is a common conversion disorder symptom that manifests as the sensation of a lump in the throat.

Question 3

Which of the following would be typical for a patient suffering from a conversion disorder?
A)Ability to avoid walking into things even though the patient reports being unable to see anything
B)Ability to see some bright objects when calm but suffering complete loss of sight during a stressful period or emergency
C)Performance far below average when asked to name objects in the visual field when the patient reports blindness
D)Ability to name everything in the visual field even though the patient reports blindness

Accepted Answer

The patient is able to avoid walking into things even though they report being unable to see anything. This is a typical symptom of conversion disorder, in which a person experiences physical symptoms that cannot be explained by any organic cause.

Question 4

According to your textbook, in some religious groups, seizures, paralysis, and trances are often seen as evidence of
A)an increased power to cause natural disasters.
B)contact with a loved one who has passed away.
C)contact with God.
D)none of these are correct

Accepted Answer

In some religious groups, seizures, paralysis, and trances are believed to indicate contact with the divine or mystical experiences. These behaviors are often seen as evidence of contact with God or other spiritual beings.

Question 5

Conversion disorder patients were conceptualized by Freud as
A)converting unconscious conflicts into physical symptoms.
B)converting unconscious conflicts into defense mechanisms.
C)experiencing physical symptoms as a result of the superego.
D)experiencing internal conflicts as a result of physical illness.

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder patients are individuals who experience physical symptoms without any identifiable medical cause. Freudian psychoanalytic theory suggests that conversion disorder occurs when unconscious psychological conflicts are "converted" into physical symptoms as a means of avoiding conscious awareness of the underlying conflict. Therefore, the best choice is A) converting unconscious conflicts into physical symptoms.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true about factitious disorders?
A)Patients are usually revealed to be harboring a reason for malingering
B)The symptoms are uncontrollable.
C)There is no obvious reason for voluntarily producing symptoms.
D)All of these are correct

Accepted Answer

Factitious disorders involve intentionally producing or feigning physical or psychological symptoms without any obvious external motivation or reward. Patients with factitious disorders do not have a primary goal of malingering or gaining something tangible, unlike those with other forms of deception such as pretending to be ill to skip school or work, or to obtain drugs. The symptoms may be under voluntary control, but the motivation for producing them is not readily apparent.

Question 7

Loss of physical functioning without any physical cause is most likely a case of
A)conversion disorder.
B)illness anxiety disorder.
C)somatic symptom disorder.
D)none of these are correct.

Accepted Answer

Loss of physical functioning without any physical cause is a common symptom of conversion disorder. Conversion disorder is a type of somatic symptom disorder where physical symptoms are present without any identifiable medical cause. Illness anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive worrying about having a serious illness despite having no or minimal symptoms. Therefore, option A is the best choice.

Question 8

Min has been experiencing repeated seizures, but none of the neurologists he has visited could find any abnormal EEG activity. He is likely exhibiting a case of
A)psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.
B)globus hystericus.
C)aphonia.
D)dissociative disorder.

Accepted Answer

The fact that none of the neurologists have found any abnormal EEG activity suggests that the seizures are not of an epileptic nature but rather psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, which are often associated with psychological factors.

Question 9

Conversion disorder symptoms generally appear
A)out of the blue.
B)following a physical injury to the affected area.
C)following a traumatic event.
D)in women with repressed sexuality.

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder symptoms often manifest after a traumatic event such as a car accident or physical assault. This is because the disorder involves unconscious psychological processes that are triggered by stress or trauma.

Question 10

The modern view of the causes of conversion disorder is
A)completely different from Freud's ideas of the etiology of this disorder.
B)somewhat similar to the causes that Freud described for this disorder.
C)a combination of genetic predisposition and neurobiological trauma.
D)based on social learning theory.

Accepted Answer

The modern view of the causes of conversion disorder acknowledges psychological factors in its development, which is somewhat similar to Freud's emphasis on underlying psychological conflict, although contemporary understanding also incorporates broader biopsychosocial perspectives.

Question 11

Parents suspected of facetious disorder imposed on another (Munchausen syndrome by proxy) show all of the following typical behaviors EXCEPT
A)helping medical staff to discover the true nature of the child's illness.
B)developing a positive relationship with medical staff.
C)appearing extremely concerned and caring toward the child.
D)purposefully making the child sick.

Accepted Answer

Parents with facetious disorder imposed on another (Munchausen syndrome by proxy) purposefully make their child sick and do not help medical staff to discover the true nature of the illness. They may appear extremely concerned and caring toward the child and develop a positive relationship with medical staff to maintain access to medical treatment for their child.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement regarding conversion disorder symptoms?
A)They uniquely belong to Western culture.
B)They are common aspects of some religious/healing rituals.
C)They do not constitute a disorder unless they persist and interfere with an individual's functioning.
D)Some individuals who exhibit them are held in high esteem because they are sometimes seen as contact with God.

Accepted Answer

Conversion disorder symptoms are not unique to Western culture and have been documented in various cultures around the world.

Question 13

"Functional neurological symptom disorder" is associated with which disorder in the DSM-5?
A)Conversion disorder
B)Illness anxiety disorder
C)Somatic symptom disorder
D)None of these are correct

Accepted Answer

Functional neurological symptom disorder is a term used to describe medically unexplained neurological symptoms, which is a characteristic of conversion disorder in the DSM-5.

Question 14

In factitious disorders, the patient
A)voluntarily makes up symptoms with no apparent motivation.
B)is unaware that he or she is making up symptoms.
C)truly experiences symptoms with no apparent physical cause.
D)makes up symptoms in an effort to avoid work or to receive some other benefit.

Accepted Answer

In factitious disorders, individuals voluntarily make up or exaggerate symptoms without an obvious external incentive or benefit, differentiating it from malingering (D), where there is a clear external benefit.

Question 15

An example of factitious disorder imposed on another is
A)deliberate actions directed toward making a child sick.
B)a parent lying to a doctor, for example, saying that the child has had symptoms that never really existed.
C)a parent developing the same symptoms that the child exhibits.
D)convincing a child to lie to a doctor about factitious symptoms.

Accepted Answer

Factitious disorder imposed on another, also known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, is characterized by a caregiver deliberately causing or exaggerating physical or psychological symptoms in another person, typically a child. Choice A describes such behavior, with the caregiver taking deliberate actions to make the child physically ill in order to seek attention or sympathy for themselves.

Question 16

Serena has completely lost the use of her right arm during the past year, but medical experts can find no physical reason for her paralysis. This could be an example of
A)somatic symptoms disorder.
B)illness anxiety
C)conversion disorder.
D)dissociative disorder.

Accepted Answer

Serena's symptoms of paralysis without any physical cause is indicative of conversion disorder, where physical symptoms are caused by psychological stressors.

Question 17

Factitious disorders are a set of conditions that
A)fall somewhere between malingering and conversion disorders.
B)are completely under voluntary control like malingering.
C)are a manifestation of physical symptoms mostly due to anxiety.
D)are one form of typical child abuse.

Accepted Answer

Factitious disorders involve the deliberate production or feigning of physical or psychological symptoms for psychological reasons. They differ from malingering in that there is no evident motive for the deception apart from the desire to adopt the sick role, and from conversion disorders in that the symptoms produced or feigned are deliberate and conscious rather than unconscious.

Question 18

With regard to "la belle indifference" (the observation that conversion disorder patients are not concerned about their symptoms), research suggests that
A)conversion disorder patients display uncommonly high levels of concerns about their physical loss.
B)Freud's explanation is essentially correct.
C)conversion disorder patients show no difference in the distress over symptoms than those with organic disease.
D)"la belle indifference" is an accurate description of the lack of concern about their physical loss in conversion disorder patients.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that patients with conversion disorder do not show a significant difference in distress over their symptoms compared to those with organic diseases, challenging the traditional notion of "la belle indifference" as a hallmark of conversion disorder.

Question 19

Difficulty speaking without any physical or organic pathology is known as
A)hysteria.
B)malingering.
C)aphonia.
D)la belle indifference.

Accepted Answer

Difficulty speaking without any physical or organic pathology is known as aphonia. Hysteria is a term that is no longer used in the diagnostic context, malingering refers to the act of exaggerating or feigning symptoms for external gain, and la belle indifference refers to an inappropriate lack of concern for the severity of one's symptoms.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is correct regarding diagnosing a patient's symptoms as a conversion disorder?
A)It is quite apparent when a patient is malingering (faking), but it is difficult to determine whether symptoms are due to real physical disorders or a conversion disorder.
B)It is quite apparent when a symptom is due to a real physical disorder, but it is impossible to determine the difference between a conversion disorder and patient malingering (faking).
C)It is very difficult to determine whether symptoms are due to malingering (faking), real physical disorders, or a conversion disorder.
D)The act of diagnosing a conversion disorder can sometimes immediately alleviate the symptoms.

Accepted Answer

Diagnosing a conversion disorder can be challenging because the symptoms may mimic those of a real physical disorder or be indicative of malingering. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms. Additionally, there is no specific diagnostic test for a conversion disorder, and a thorough evaluation may be necessary to rule out other potential causes. It is worth noting that, in some cases, the act of diagnosing a conversion disorder can lead to immediate symptom relief, although the reason for this is not entirely clear.

Quiz 5: Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders and Dissociative Disorders

Historically, "hysteria" was thought to be the result of a

Globus hystericus, a common conversion disorder symptom, is the sensation of a

Which of the following would be typical for a patient suffering from a conversion disorder?

According to your textbook, in some religious groups, seizures, paralysis, and trances are often seen as evidence of

Conversion disorder patients were conceptualized by Freud as

Which of the following statements is true about factitious disorders?

Loss of physical functioning without any physical cause is most likely a case of

Min has been experiencing repeated seizures, but none of the neurologists he has visited could find any abnormal EEG activity. He is likely exhibiting a case of

Conversion disorder symptoms generally appear

The modern view of the causes of conversion disorder is

Parents suspected of facetious disorder imposed on another (Munchausen syndrome by proxy) show all of the following typical behaviors EXCEPT

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement regarding conversion disorder symptoms?

"Functional neurological symptom disorder" is associated with which disorder in the DSM-5?

In factitious disorders, the patient

An example of factitious disorder imposed on another is

Serena has completely lost the use of her right arm during the past year, but medical experts can find no physical reason for her paralysis. This could be an example of

Factitious disorders are a set of conditions that

With regard to "la belle indifference" (the observation that conversion disorder patients are not concerned about their symptoms) , research suggests that

Difficulty speaking without any physical or organic pathology is known as

Which of the following statements is correct regarding diagnosing a patient's symptoms as a conversion disorder?