Which of these best describes factitious disorder?
Worry about health despite no symptoms.
Normal voluntary and sensory dysfunction.
Worry is out of proportion to the symptoms.
Deliberate exaggeration and fabricated symptoms.
The Correct Answer is D
A. Worry about health despite no symptoms. This describes illness anxiety disorder (formerly hypochondriasis), where individuals have an excessive fear of having a serious illness despite minimal or no physical symptoms. Unlike factitious disorder, these individuals are not fabricating symptoms but are genuinely convinced they are sick.
B. Normal voluntary and sensory dysfunction. This does not describe any recognized psychiatric disorder. However, conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder) involves involuntary neurological symptoms (e.g., paralysis, blindness) without a medical cause, whereas factitious disorder involves intentional symptom fabrication.
C. Worry is out of proportion to the symptoms. This is characteristic of somatic symptom disorder (SSD), where individuals have excessive concern and distress over real but often minor physical symptoms. Unlike factitious disorder, their symptoms are not deliberately produced or exaggerated for attention.
D. Deliberate exaggeration and fabricated symptoms. Factitious disorder (formerly Munchausen syndrome) involves intentionally faking, exaggerating, or inducing medical symptoms to assume the "sick role". Unlike malingering (which is done for external rewards like financial gain), factitious disorder is driven by an internal psychological need for medical attention.
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Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. Delusions are a positive symptom of schizophrenia, not a negative symptom. They are false, fixed beliefs that persist despite evidence to the contrary. Common types include persecutory, grandiose, and bizarre delusions. Positive symptoms result from excess dopamine activity in the mesolimbic pathway.
B. Avolition is a negative symptom characterized by a lack of motivation to initiate and sustain goal-directed activities. It leads to difficulties with personal hygiene, work, and social engagement, significantly impairing daily functioning.
C. Apathy is a negative symptom marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or emotional responsiveness. Individuals with schizophrenia may show indifference to social interactions, personal achievements, or daily activities.
D. Alogia (poverty of speech) is a negative symptom where individuals speak less and provide minimal verbal responses. This reflects impaired thought processing and reduced cognitive engagement, common in schizophrenia's mesocortical dopamine pathway dysfunction.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
A. Believes thoughts are being transmitted to others. This describes thought broadcasting, where individuals believe that their thoughts are being sent to others or that people can hear them without speaking. This is a distinct delusion seen in psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.
B. Believes thoughts are being controlled. This aligns with delusions of control, where a person believes that an external force is controlling their thoughts, feelings, or actions. This is different from thought withdrawal, which specifically involves thoughts being stolen.
C. Believes thoughts are taken out of someone's mind. Thought withdrawal delusions occur when a person believes that an outside force is removing thoughts from their mind. This delusion is common in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, often associated with paranoid themes and cognitive disorganization.
D. Believes aliens are inserting thoughts in someone's brain. This describes thought insertion, where individuals believe that outside entities (e.g., aliens, the government) are implanting thoughts into their mind. While related, this differs from thought withdrawal, which involves the removal of thoughts rather than their insertion.
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