Free Abnormal Psychology MCQs with Answers

454 Abnormal Psychology MCQs from Psychology, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

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454 questions · page 12 of 23

  • A. Bonet
  • B. Albrecht
  • C. Jamison
  • D. Redfield

Explanation: Bonet described a manic-depressive condition in 1686 and used the term “maniaco-melancholicus.” Jamison is a modern bipolar-disorder…

Correct answer: Bonet
  • A. Auditory hallucinations
  • B. Severe psychomotor retardation
  • C. Auto enucleation
  • D. Intellectual disorganization

Explanation: Psychotic depression may involve auditory hallucinations, severe psychomotor retardation, and rare self-injurious acts such as…

Correct answer: Intellectual disorganization
  • A. Cyclothymic Disorder
  • B. Bipolar II
  • C. Bipolar I
  • D. Ultra - Rapid Cycling

Explanation: Cyclothymic disorder involves at least two years of recurring hypomanic symptoms and depressive symptoms that do not meet the full…

Correct answer: Cyclothymic Disorder
  • A. It's an unusual from of body dysmorphic disorder
  • B. It's an extreme from of Munchausen syndrome
  • C. IT's a paraphilia
  • D. Any of these

Explanation: Apotemnophilia, now more often discussed under body integrity dysphoria, has historically been viewed as a paraphilia and has also been…

Correct answer: Any of these
  • A. By their physical appearance
  • B. You can't. There are no obvious clues
  • C. By their irrational behavior
  • D. Many depression victims are quick to admit their illness

Explanation: Depression cannot be diagnosed reliably from a first meeting or from appearance alone because symptoms vary widely and may be concealed.

Correct answer: You can't. There are no obvious clues
  • A. Disruptiveness
  • B. Aggression
  • C. Impulsivity
  • D. Intelligence

Explanation: The three core ADHD symptom presentations are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Correct answer: Impulsivity
  • A. Dopamine
  • B. Acetylcholine
  • C. Epinephrine
  • D. Glutamate

Explanation: Dopamine and norepinephrine are the neurotransmitters most commonly linked with ADHD in this traditional biological account.

Correct answer: Dopamine
  • A. 1
  • B. 2
  • C. 3
  • D. 4

Explanation: DSM-IV described three ADHD subtypes: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, and combined.

Correct answer: 3
  • A. Legal Eagles
  • B. A Time to kill
  • C. Primal Fear
  • D. As You Desire

Explanation: Primal Fear follows an altar boy accused of killing an archbishop, defended by a high-profile lawyer, with the plot involving dissociative…

Correct answer: Primal Fear
  • A. borderline
  • B. disorganized
  • C. catatonic
  • D. paranoid

Explanation: Waxy flexibility, in which a person maintains a posture imposed by another person, is classically associated with catatonic schizophrenia.

Correct answer: catatonic
  • A. psychological tests
  • B. psychiatric interviews
  • C. psychological interviews
  • D. There is no effective method

Explanation: No psychological test or interview can predict an individual act of violence with dependable accuracy, although structured risk…

Correct answer: There is no effective method
  • A. acting ability of the pseudo-patients
  • B. generally low quality of training of hospital staff members
  • C. effects of the labeling and context
  • D. fact that pseudo-patients were so heavily drugged

Explanation: Rosenhan’s pseudo-patients were interpreted through the label of mental illness, so ordinary behavior was viewed as pathological within…

Correct answer: effects of the labeling and context
  • A. wider ventricles
  • B. smaller fissures
  • C. smaller ventricles
  • D. fewer fissures

Explanation: Some people with schizophrenia show enlarged or wider cerebral ventricles on CT scans, suggesting loss or reduced volume of surrounding…

Correct answer: wider ventricles
  • A. specific objects or situations
  • B. bugs and crawling things
  • C. intense reactions like vomiting or fainting
  • D. heights and unfamiliar places

Explanation: Phobias can provoke unusually intense physical reactions, including nausea, vomiting, or fainting, beyond ordinary fear.

Correct answer: intense reactions like vomiting or fainting
  • A. organic
  • B. psychotic
  • C. somatic
  • D. substance use

Explanation: The older term organic disorders refers to behavioral or mental problems caused by identifiable physical conditions such as brain injury…

Correct answer: organic
  • A. loss of contact with reality
  • B. unresolved anger
  • C. unresolved Oedipal conflict
  • D. high levels of anxiety

Explanation: Obsessions and compulsions are commonly linked with excessive anxiety: the obsession creates distress, while the compulsion is performed…

Correct answer: high levels of anxiety
  • A. obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • B. organic brain syndrome
  • C. affective disorder
  • D. dissociative disorder

Explanation: Amnesia, fugue, and multiple personality, now called dissociative identity disorder, involve disruptions in memory, identity, or…

Correct answer: dissociative disorder
  • A. avoidant
  • B. schizoid
  • C. borderline
  • D. paranoid

Explanation: Schizoid personality disorder involves detachment from relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression.

Correct answer: schizoid
  • A. psychosis
  • B. obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • C. conversion disorder
  • D. fugue

Explanation: Psychosis is marked by a loss of contact with reality, commonly including delusions and hallucinations.

Correct answer: psychosis
  • A. anxiety
  • B. psychotic
  • C. personality
  • D. affective

Explanation: Naked wandering and the grandiose, bizarre identity claim indicate severely impaired reality testing, which is characteristic of a…

Correct answer: psychotic