Psychiatry Exam Practice Questions with Correct
Solutions Verified by Expert
1. A 42-year-old man comes to the emergency room with the chief com- plaint that "the men are
following me." He also complains of hearing a voice telling him to hurt others. He tells the examiner that
the news anchorman gives him special messages about the state of the world every night through the
TV. Which of the following psychiatric findings best describes this last belief of the patient? - Answer d.
Idea of reference
2. A 32-year-old woman is seen in an outpatient psychiatric clinic for the chief complaint of a depressed
mood for 4 months. During the interview, she gives very long, complicated explanations and many
unnecessary details before finally answering the original questions. Which of the following psychiatric
findings best describes this style of train of thought? - Answer b. Circumstantiality
3. A 23-year-old man comes to the psychiatrist with a chief complaint of a
depressed mood. He is very anxious and obviously uncomfortable in the
physician's office. Which of the following actions should be used to help
develop rapport with this patient? - Answer b. Express compassion with the difficult position the patient
is in.
4. An 18-year-old man is seen by a psychiatrist in the emergency room.
During the history, the patient is asked to describe his mood. He answers
the following, "My mood is felicitating, I am up and down." The patient is
exhibiting which of the following thought disorders? - Answer e. Neologism
5. A 56-year-old man has been hospitalized for a myocardial infarction.
Two days after admission, he awakens in the middle of the night and
screams that there is a man standing by the window in his room. When the
nurse enters the room and turns on a light, the patient is relieved to learn
that the "man" was actually a drape by the window. This misperception of
reality is best described by which of the following psychiatric terms? - Answer c. Illusion
,6. A 22-year-old woman is seen by a psychiatrist in the emergency room
after she is found walking in the middle of a busy street with no shoes on.
During her interview she is asked to count backwards from 100 by 7's.
Which of the following best describes the cognitive functions being tested
by this request? - Answer d. Concentration
7. A 72-year-old woman is admitted to the burn unit with second- and
third-degree burns covering 35% of her body, which she received in a
house fire. At 8 pm on the fourth day of her hospital stay, she pulls out her
IV and begins screaming that people are trying to hurt her. Several hours
later she is found to be difficult to arouse and disoriented. Which of the following
is the most likely diagnosis? - Answer d. Delirium
8. A psychiatric resident is called to consult on the case of a 75-year-old
woman who had undergone a hip replacement 2 days before. On examination,
the resident notes that the patient states the date as 1956, and she
thinks she is at her son's house. These impairments best illustrate which
aspect of the mental status examination? - Answer d. Orientation
9. A 52-year-old man is sent to see a psychiatrist after he is disciplined at
his job because he consistently turns in his assignments late. He insists that
he is not about to turn in anything until it is "perfect, unlike all of my colleagues."
He has few friends because he annoys them with his demands for
"Precise timeliness" and because of his lack of emotional warmth. This has
been a lifelong pattern for the patient, though he refuses to believe the
problems have anything to do with his personal behavior. Which of the following
is the most likely diagnosis for this patient? - Answer b. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
10. A 23-year-old woman comes to the psychiatrist because she "cannot
,get out of the shower." She tells the psychiatrist that she has been unable to
go to her job as a secretary for the past 3 weeks because it takes her at least
4 hours to shower. She describes an elaborate ritual in which she must
make sure that each part of her body has been scrubbed three times, in
exactly the same order each time. She notes that her hands are raw and
bloody from all the scrubbing. She states that she hates what she is doing
to herself but becomes unbearably anxious each time she tries to stop. She
notes that she has always taken long showers, but the problem has been
worsening steadily for the past 5 months. She denies problems with friends
or at work, other than the problems that currently are keeping her from
going to work. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis? - Answer b. obsessive-compulsive
disorder
11. A 37-year-old man with chronic schizophrenia is brought to see a new
psychiatrist for treatment. While taking the history, the psychiatrist finds
that the patient functions with a flat affect and circumstantial speech all the
time. He has few friends. He is able to hold a menial job at the halfway
house where he lives, and his behavior is not influenced by delusions or
hallucinations currently. What should the psychiatrist rate the patient on
Axis V (global assessment of functioning)? - Answer c. 55
12. A 28-year-old man comes to the psychiatrist because his employer
required it. The patient says that he does not know why the employer
required it--that his job is good and that he likes it because it requires him
to sit in front of a computer screen all day. He notes he has one friend
whom he has had for more than 20 years and "doesn't need anyone else."
The friend lives in another state and the patient has not seen him for at least
a year. The patient denies any psychotic symptoms. His eye contact is poor
and his affect is almost flat. - Answer c. Schizoid personality disorder
, 13. A 42-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital for complaints of
abdominal pain. Her history notes that her mother was a nurse and she
herself is trained as a phlebotomist. On physical examination, she presents
with multiple abdominal scars and marked abdominal tenderness. The
patient is evasive when asked where she had the surgeries, but she can
describe in great detail what was done in each. - Answer f. Factitious disorder
14. An 18-year-old man is brought to the emergency room by his college
roommate, after the roommate discovered that the patient had not left his
room for the past 3 days, neither to eat nor to go to the bathroom. The
roommate noted that the patient was kind of "weird." Mental status examination
reveals that the patient has auditory hallucinations of two voices
commenting upon his behavior. The patient's parents note that their son
has always been somewhat of a loner and unpopular, but otherwise did
fairly well in school. - Answer h. Schizophreniform disorder
15. A 32-year-old woman comes to the psychiatrist with a chief complaint
of anxiety. She notes that she worries about paying the mortgage on time,
whether or not she will get stuck in traffic and be late for appointments, her
husband's and daughter's health, and the war in Iraq. She notes that she has
always been anxious, but since the birth of her daughter 2 years ago, the
anxiety has worsened to the point that she feels she cannot function as well
as she did previously. - Answer b. Generalized anxiety disorder
16. A 23-year-old woman comes to the emergency room with the chief
complaint that she has been hearing voices for 7 months. Besides the hallucinations,
she has the idea that the radio is giving her special messages.
When asked the meaning of the proverb "People in glass houses should not
Solutions Verified by Expert
1. A 42-year-old man comes to the emergency room with the chief com- plaint that "the men are
following me." He also complains of hearing a voice telling him to hurt others. He tells the examiner that
the news anchorman gives him special messages about the state of the world every night through the
TV. Which of the following psychiatric findings best describes this last belief of the patient? - Answer d.
Idea of reference
2. A 32-year-old woman is seen in an outpatient psychiatric clinic for the chief complaint of a depressed
mood for 4 months. During the interview, she gives very long, complicated explanations and many
unnecessary details before finally answering the original questions. Which of the following psychiatric
findings best describes this style of train of thought? - Answer b. Circumstantiality
3. A 23-year-old man comes to the psychiatrist with a chief complaint of a
depressed mood. He is very anxious and obviously uncomfortable in the
physician's office. Which of the following actions should be used to help
develop rapport with this patient? - Answer b. Express compassion with the difficult position the patient
is in.
4. An 18-year-old man is seen by a psychiatrist in the emergency room.
During the history, the patient is asked to describe his mood. He answers
the following, "My mood is felicitating, I am up and down." The patient is
exhibiting which of the following thought disorders? - Answer e. Neologism
5. A 56-year-old man has been hospitalized for a myocardial infarction.
Two days after admission, he awakens in the middle of the night and
screams that there is a man standing by the window in his room. When the
nurse enters the room and turns on a light, the patient is relieved to learn
that the "man" was actually a drape by the window. This misperception of
reality is best described by which of the following psychiatric terms? - Answer c. Illusion
,6. A 22-year-old woman is seen by a psychiatrist in the emergency room
after she is found walking in the middle of a busy street with no shoes on.
During her interview she is asked to count backwards from 100 by 7's.
Which of the following best describes the cognitive functions being tested
by this request? - Answer d. Concentration
7. A 72-year-old woman is admitted to the burn unit with second- and
third-degree burns covering 35% of her body, which she received in a
house fire. At 8 pm on the fourth day of her hospital stay, she pulls out her
IV and begins screaming that people are trying to hurt her. Several hours
later she is found to be difficult to arouse and disoriented. Which of the following
is the most likely diagnosis? - Answer d. Delirium
8. A psychiatric resident is called to consult on the case of a 75-year-old
woman who had undergone a hip replacement 2 days before. On examination,
the resident notes that the patient states the date as 1956, and she
thinks she is at her son's house. These impairments best illustrate which
aspect of the mental status examination? - Answer d. Orientation
9. A 52-year-old man is sent to see a psychiatrist after he is disciplined at
his job because he consistently turns in his assignments late. He insists that
he is not about to turn in anything until it is "perfect, unlike all of my colleagues."
He has few friends because he annoys them with his demands for
"Precise timeliness" and because of his lack of emotional warmth. This has
been a lifelong pattern for the patient, though he refuses to believe the
problems have anything to do with his personal behavior. Which of the following
is the most likely diagnosis for this patient? - Answer b. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
10. A 23-year-old woman comes to the psychiatrist because she "cannot
,get out of the shower." She tells the psychiatrist that she has been unable to
go to her job as a secretary for the past 3 weeks because it takes her at least
4 hours to shower. She describes an elaborate ritual in which she must
make sure that each part of her body has been scrubbed three times, in
exactly the same order each time. She notes that her hands are raw and
bloody from all the scrubbing. She states that she hates what she is doing
to herself but becomes unbearably anxious each time she tries to stop. She
notes that she has always taken long showers, but the problem has been
worsening steadily for the past 5 months. She denies problems with friends
or at work, other than the problems that currently are keeping her from
going to work. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis? - Answer b. obsessive-compulsive
disorder
11. A 37-year-old man with chronic schizophrenia is brought to see a new
psychiatrist for treatment. While taking the history, the psychiatrist finds
that the patient functions with a flat affect and circumstantial speech all the
time. He has few friends. He is able to hold a menial job at the halfway
house where he lives, and his behavior is not influenced by delusions or
hallucinations currently. What should the psychiatrist rate the patient on
Axis V (global assessment of functioning)? - Answer c. 55
12. A 28-year-old man comes to the psychiatrist because his employer
required it. The patient says that he does not know why the employer
required it--that his job is good and that he likes it because it requires him
to sit in front of a computer screen all day. He notes he has one friend
whom he has had for more than 20 years and "doesn't need anyone else."
The friend lives in another state and the patient has not seen him for at least
a year. The patient denies any psychotic symptoms. His eye contact is poor
and his affect is almost flat. - Answer c. Schizoid personality disorder
, 13. A 42-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital for complaints of
abdominal pain. Her history notes that her mother was a nurse and she
herself is trained as a phlebotomist. On physical examination, she presents
with multiple abdominal scars and marked abdominal tenderness. The
patient is evasive when asked where she had the surgeries, but she can
describe in great detail what was done in each. - Answer f. Factitious disorder
14. An 18-year-old man is brought to the emergency room by his college
roommate, after the roommate discovered that the patient had not left his
room for the past 3 days, neither to eat nor to go to the bathroom. The
roommate noted that the patient was kind of "weird." Mental status examination
reveals that the patient has auditory hallucinations of two voices
commenting upon his behavior. The patient's parents note that their son
has always been somewhat of a loner and unpopular, but otherwise did
fairly well in school. - Answer h. Schizophreniform disorder
15. A 32-year-old woman comes to the psychiatrist with a chief complaint
of anxiety. She notes that she worries about paying the mortgage on time,
whether or not she will get stuck in traffic and be late for appointments, her
husband's and daughter's health, and the war in Iraq. She notes that she has
always been anxious, but since the birth of her daughter 2 years ago, the
anxiety has worsened to the point that she feels she cannot function as well
as she did previously. - Answer b. Generalized anxiety disorder
16. A 23-year-old woman comes to the emergency room with the chief
complaint that she has been hearing voices for 7 months. Besides the hallucinations,
she has the idea that the radio is giving her special messages.
When asked the meaning of the proverb "People in glass houses should not
