All AP Psychology Resources
Which of the following is not a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD]?
Possible Answers:
A fear of contamination
Anxiety stemming from a traumatic injury
Intense stress when objects are not in order
Avoidance of situations that may trigger obsessions
Compulsions to reduce anxiety
Correct answer:
Anxiety stemming from a traumatic injury
Explanation:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD] is a psychiatric illness characterized by excessive thoughts [obsessions] that lead to repetitive, maladaptive behaviors [compulsions]. Common obsessions include a fear of contamination and/or a need to keep things orderly. Common compulsions include obsessive handwashing and counting in certain patterns.
OCD does not arise from a traumatic injury; it results from a combination of psychological and biological factors.
When John leaves his house in morning, he always has to check multiple times to make sure that he has locked his front door. If John tries to leave his house without checking his door, or after only checking it once, he is filled with such anxiety and dread that he must abandon whatever else he is doing to return home and check his front door again. John is most likely struggling with a[n] __________.
Possible Answers:
mania
obsession
compulsion
ethical dilemma
stigma
Correct answer:
compulsion
Explanation:
A compulsion is a behavior that one feels driven to perform repeatedly, aiming to reduce stress or prevent the occurrence of something horrible. These compulsive behaviors are quite often linked to obsessive thoughts in cases of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [OCD].
Joanna feels that she needs to run up and down the stairs exactly 12 times before she leaves for school or else someone she loves will get hurt. What is the name for this type of intrusive, irrational thought?
Possible Answers:
an obsession
a heritability
a compulsion
a disturbance
a fear
Correct answer:
an obsession
Explanation:
The two parts of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [OCD] are the obsessions and the compulsions. Obsessions are the irrational, intrusive thoughts that distress the person with OCD, and compulsions are the actions that the person takes to try to alleviate the distress of the obsession. In Joanna's case, the fear of someone getting hurt is the obsession and the running up and down the stairs is the compulsion.
What is OCD?
Possible Answers:
Other non-categorized disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obtuse-carotene disorder
Organized-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-chaotic disorder
Correct answer:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Explanation:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD] is an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessions [intrusive thououghts] and compulsions [intense needs to fulfill specific actions]. A common obession is cleanliness, which can lend itself to compulsive hand washing or scrubbing.
Which of the following is the best example of a compulsion?
Possible Answers:
Intrusive preoccupation over one's appearance
Difficulty counting
Excessive handwashing
Fear of stealing things
Refusing to eat
Correct answer:
Excessive handwashing
Explanation:
Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that are undertaken to reduce anxiety. Some of the most common compulsions in those with OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder] are counting, handwashing, collecting, and organizing at a clinically problematic level.
Which of the following is not true of obsessions, as listed in the DSM definition of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
Possible Answers:
All of these are true of obsessions
Used to reduce distress or prevent disasters
OCD patient recognizes that obsessions are products of his/her own mind
Can take form of thoughts or mental images
Persistent and recurring
Correct answer:
Used to reduce distress or prevent disasters
Explanation:
Unlike compulsions, which are behaviors that OCD patients feel they must do to prevent disaster or just to reduce their distress, obsessions are unwelcome, unhelpful thoughts that OCD patients actively attempt to ignore or suppress.
Samantha must check that her keys are in her purse upon leaving the house exactly seven times. Samantha would most likely be diagnosed with __________.
Possible Answers:
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
A phobia
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Agoraphobia
Schizophrenia
Correct answer:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Explanation:
Given that Samantha must check for her keys a certain number of times until she is appeased, this begins to resemble ritualistic repetitive behavior. Repetitive ritualistic behavior is characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder. While checking for keys may be a part of everyday life, feeling the need to check for keys a specific and excessive number of times is not.
A patient has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and each morning and night she must spend 45 minutes writing words of praise in her journal so that her mother does not fall ill. The patient has been going to treatment for several years to deal with the issue.
Identify the obsession and the compulsion in this scenario.
Possible Answers:
Obsession: constant cleanliness . . . Compulsion: tidiness despite the room being clean
Obsession: the writing ritual . . . Compulsion: going to treatment
Obsession: the writing ritual . . . Compulsion: her mother's health
Obsession: her mother's health . . . Compulsion: the writing ritual
Correct answer:
Obsession: her mother's health . . . Compulsion: the writing ritual
Explanation:
Obsessions are recurring intrusive thoughts or worries that are characterized by the extreme difficulty patients have suppressing them. The obsession here is the patient's concern with her mother's health. Compulsions are repeated behaviors that a person feels compelled to perform in relation to a given obsession. In this case, the need to write in a ritualistic fashion as as to prevent a realization of the obsessive fear is the compulsive act.
Which of the following is not a common compulsion associated with OCD?
Possible Answers:
Excessively arranging items in a particular order
Excessively checking to make sure a loved one is still breathing
Excessively having flash backs to a past event
Excessively checking to make sure the oven is turned off
Excessive hand washing
Correct answer:
Excessively having flash backs to a past event
Explanation:
OCD is a disorder characterized by obsessions [intrusive, distressing thoughts] and compulsions [actions taken to try to "fix" the intrusive thought]. Common compulsions include excessive washing, turning items off, checking on loved ones, and arranging items. Flashbacks are a symptom of PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] and are not associated with OCD.
Which of the following is NOT an example of a compulsion someone may have with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Possible Answers:
Excessive hand-washing after touch anything from outside the home
All of these are common compulsions associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Unlock and relock the door multiple times when leaving home
Cleaning glasses every few minutes to make sure stay clean
Check to see if burner off every time walk into kitchen
Correct answer:
All of these are common compulsions associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Explanation:
All of the answers are examples of compulsive behaviors that result from anxiety, such as being "dirty" or leaving the door unlocked.