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. Lack of motivation. Avolition is a negative symptom of schizophrenia characterized by a severe lack of motivation to initiate and sustain goal-directed activities. Individuals with avolition struggle with completing daily tasks, such as hygiene, work, or social interactions, which significantly impairs their functioning.
B. No emotion. This describes flat affect, where individuals show reduced emotional expression in facial expressions, voice tone, and body language. Flat affect is a separate negative symptom of schizophrenia, distinct from avolition.
C. Inability to experience pleasure. This describes anhedonia, which refers to the inability to feel pleasure from previously enjoyable activities. Anhedonia is commonly seen in schizophrenia, major depressive disorder (MDD), and substance use disorders.
D. No empathy. Lack of empathy is more characteristic of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) or narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). While individuals with schizophrenia may struggle with social interactions, this is due to cognitive deficits rather than an absence of empathy.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. Sudden onset of psychotic symptoms in less than a month. According to the DSM-5, brief psychotic disorder is characterized by a sudden onset of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, or disorganized behavior that lasts at least one day but less than one month, with eventual full recovery.
B. Sudden onset of psychotic symptoms in less than two months. The DSM-5 criteria do not define brief psychotic disorder with a two-month duration. If symptoms persist beyond one month, another diagnosis, such as schizophreniform disorder, may be considered.
C. Sudden onset of psychotic symptoms in less than one year. Psychotic symptoms lasting up to one year are more indicative of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, not brief psychotic disorder.
D. Sudden onset of psychotic symptoms in less than six months. Psychotic symptoms lasting longer than one month but less than six months are consistent with schizophreniform disorder, rather than brief psychotic disorder.
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