Mood Disorders — MCQs

A 24-year-old man comes to the physician with a wound on his forearm. He says that he injured himself by absentmindedly walking into a glass door. He does not have health insurance. He has had 5 jobs in the past 8 months. He quit each job after 3–4 weeks because he found the work beneath him. He was imprisoned 6 years ago for credit card fraud. He was released from prison on parole a year ago. He was expelled from school at the age of 13 years for stealing school property and threatening to assault a teacher. He has fathered 6 children with 4 women. He says that he does not provide child support because he needs the money for his own personal expenses. The patient's vital signs are within normal limits. Examination of the forearm shows a 6 cm long, 0.5 cm deep wound with neat edges on the dorsal surface of the left forearm. There are bruises on the left shoulder, back, and the proximal phalanges of the right hand. On mental status examination, the patient is alert and calm. His mood is described as cheerful. His thought process, thought content, and speech are normal. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 17-year-old girl presents to the clinic on her own, complaining of fatigue and feeling cold all the time. She is also very concerned about several minor medical conditions she has developed over the last year or so. Her past medical history is noncontributory. Menarche was at age 11 and her last menstrual period was 3 months ago. Her mother has hypothyroidism and she is concerned that she has it too. She proudly describes her “healthy” routine that consists of 2 grapefruits a day for breakfast and lunch and no dinner and that she runs 6 miles 4 times a week. She reports having good grades in school and that she tries very hard to fit in with the popular girls. She is also concerned that she has trouble losing weight and persistently asks for a prescription for weight loss medication. Her temperature is 36.9°C (98.5°F), blood pressure is 110/70 mm Hg, pulse is 60/min, and respirations are 13/min. Physical examination reveals a thin girl with pale mucosa and lanugo on her arms and back. Urine hCG is negative. Which of the following will most likely be detected in this patient?

A 60-year-old man is brought to the emergency department after a fall. He has been seen by the triage nurse but has not been evaluated by a physician. He is heard yelling down the hallway, requesting to speak to “whoever is in charge.” He refuses to talk to the emergency resident and insists on talking to the attending physician despite being informed that the attending is currently resuscitating a patient who was in a car accident. He says that he deserves better treatment because he has made numerous contributions to the field of medicine. When asked about his work, he mentions that he was a medical device salesman. He is accompanied by his wife, who appears embarrassed. She claims that her husband frequently makes a scene and apologizes for her husband's behavior. On mental status examination, the patient is oriented to person, place, and time. He appears agitated and speaks in short, pressured sentences. There is no disorder of thought process or content. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 15-year-old boy is brought to the physician by his parents for evaluation of his “weird” behavior. The parents report that their son tortured their cat to death two weeks ago. Over the past year, he has been accused of stealing a car and setting a fire at his school. He has no history of serious illness. He attends a local high school, and his performance at school is very poor compared to his classmates. He often loses his temper and argues with his teachers. He has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 2 years. He does not drink alcohol. His mother has a 10-year history of schizophrenia controlled with medication. On mental status examination, he is oriented to person, place, and time. The pupils are equal and reactive to light. His speech is normal in rate and rhythm, and his thought process is organized. Short- and long-term memory are intact. Attention and concentration are poor. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 9-year-old girl is brought to the pediatrician for a wellness checkup. The girl's past medical history is non-contributory, and she has met all her developmental milestones. Her parents were recently called into the office as the girl was found touching the genitals of one of her classmates. She was trying to insert a toy into her classmate's genitals. The girl is asked what has happened and what she thinks is going on but she is too shy to reply to the physician. The girl and her mother recently moved in with a family member. They live in low-income housing subsidized by the government and are currently on food stamps. The mother states that her daughter has been particularly argumentative lately and that they have gotten into arguments in which her daughter screamed at her and locked herself in the bathroom. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 60-year-old woman is brought into the office by her son. Her son states that the patient has been acting inappropriately over the last few years. She has been taking off her clothes in front of visitors and putting objects in her mouth. She has had no emotional response to the death of one of her close friends and was laughing at her funeral. She has almost no memory issues, but sometimes forgets how to use objects such as a telephone. She has no other medical issues and takes no medications. On exam, she has no focal neurological deficits and her mini-mental status exam is 25/30. What is the most likely diagnosis?

A 25-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by police for aggressive behavior. The patient is combative and shouts sexually aggressive remarks at the nursing staff. While obtaining the patient’s vitals, it is noted that he has markedly dilated pupils. His temperature is 98.2°F (36.8°C), pulse is 112/min, blood pressure is 130/70 mmHg, respirations are 18/min, and oxygen saturation is 98% on room air. Urine toxicology is obtained and sent off. Physical exam is notable for an energetic patient with dilated pupils and increased sweating. The patient spends the night in the emergency department. In the morning the patient is withdrawn and has a notable depressed affect. He apologizes for his behavior the previous night and states that he is concerned about his problem and wants help. Which of the following is appropriate management of this patient?

A 23-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department by her boyfriend 10 minutes after ingesting at least 15 acetaminophen tablets. She has been admitted to the hospital several times in the past few months after attempted self-harm. She claims that her boyfriend is “extremely selfish” and “does not care for her.” She says she feels lonely and wants her boyfriend to pay attention to her. Her boyfriend says that they have broken up 10 times in the past year because she is prone to outbursts of physical aggression as well as mood swings. He says that these mood swings last a few hours and can vary from states of “exuberance and affection” to states of “depression.” On examination, the patient appears well-dressed and calm. She has normal speech, thought processes, and thought content. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 19-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department by ambulance 30 minutes after her neighbor found her unconscious on a running trail. Her neighbor reports that she has been training for a marathon since the beginning of the summer. She is alert and oriented but becomes irritable when realizing that she is at a hospital and refuses to answer questions. She appears tired. She is 174 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall and weighs 51 kg (112 lb). Her temperature is 35.5°C (96°F), pulse is 44/min, respirations are 20/min, and blood pressure is 84/48 mm Hg. Examination shows dry, scaly skin and dry mucous membranes. Cardiopulmonary examination shows a high-frequency, mid-to-late systolic murmur that is heard best at the apex. Her hemoglobin concentration is 11.9 g/dL. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 71-year-old man is brought in by his daughter for forgetfulness. The daughter finds herself repeating things she has already told him. She also reports that the patient recently missed a lunch date they had scheduled. She is worried that he may have Alzheimer's disease because her mother had it, and this is how it started. The patient states that he sometimes forgets where he puts his glasses, but this is not new. He also admits to missing appointments if he doesn't write them in his planner, but he states “I always remember birthdays.” Since his wife passed, the patient has been responsible for all the finances, and the daughter confirms that he pays the bills on time. He cooks for himself, though sometimes he is “lazy” and will order fast food. The patient’s medical history is significant for hypertension, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. His medications include aspirin, lisinopril, atorvastatin, and methotrexate. He was also treated for depression for the first year following his wife's death, which was 3 years ago. He currently denies feelings of depression or suicidal ideation, but admits that he has been thinking more about death since some of his weekly golfing buddies have passed away. He drinks a beer every night with dinner and smokes cigars socially. A physical examination reveals ulnar deviation of the fingers, decreased grip strength, and a slow, steady gait. The patient is able to spell a 5-letter word backwards and remembers 3/3 items after 5 minutes. Which of the following diagnoses most likely explains the patient’s symptoms?