Psychotic Disorders — MCQs

A 35-year-old male is brought to the physician by his wife who is concerned because he has begun to demonstrate odd behavior which has worsened over the past several months. She states that he has become very aggressive and at times will have sudden, jerky movements which he is unable to control. The patient states that his father had the same problem which he died of at age 69. The patient had a recent cold with fevers, chills and throat pain which resolved on its own some time ago. Which of the following is true of this disease?

A 5-year-old girl is brought to the physician because her mother has found her to be inattentive at home and has received multiple complaints from her teachers at school. She does not complete her assignments and does not listen to her teachers' instructions. She refuses to talk to her parents or peers. Her mother says, “She ignores everything I say to her!” She prefers playing alone, and her mother reports that she likes playing with 5 red toy cars, repeatedly arranging them in a straight line. She avoids eye contact with her mother and the physician throughout the visit. Physical and neurological examination shows no abnormalities. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 34-year-old woman presents with recurrent panic attacks that have been worsening over the past 5 weeks. She also says she has been seeing things that are not present in reality and is significantly bothered by a short attention span which has badly affected her job in the past 6 months. No significant past medical history. No current medications. The patient is afebrile and vital signs are within normal limits. Her BMI is 34 kg/m2. Physical examination is unremarkable. The patient is prescribed antipsychotic medication. She expresses concerns about any effects of the new medication on her weight. Which of the following medications would be the best course of treatment in this patient?

A 3-year-old girl is brought in by her parents to her pediatrician for concerns about their child’s behavior. Since the parents started taking their child to daycare, they have become concerned that their daughter has not been behaving like other children her age. Most notably, she seldom responds when her name is called at home or at daycare. Additionally, she has been getting in trouble with the day care staff for not following directions but instead demanding to play with the train set at all times. She has been asked numerous times to share the toys, but the patient does not play with the other children. The parents state that the patient was born vaginally following a normal pregnancy, and the patient had been meeting developmental milestones all along. While she does not speak much, she is able to construct sentences up to 4-5 words. On exam, the patient’s temperature is 98.2°F (36.8°C), blood pressure is 106/60 mmHg, pulse is 76/min, and respirations are 14/min. The patient does not cooperate with gross or fine motor testing, but she appears to have no trouble running around the room and draws very detailed trains with crayons. While drawing and standing, she frequently makes flapping motions with her hands. The patient has ample vocabulary, but speaks in a singsong voice mostly to herself and does not engage during the exam. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 9-year-old boy is brought to the emergency room by his mother for weakness, diaphoresis, and syncope. His mother says that he has never been diagnosed with any medical conditions but has been having “fainting spells” over the past month. Routine lab work reveals a glucose level of 25 mg/dL. The patient is promptly given glucagon and intravenous dextrose and admitted to the hospital for observation. The patient’s mother stays with him during his hospitalization. The patient is successfully watched overnight and his blood glucose levels normalize on his morning levels. The care team discusses a possible discharge during morning rounds. One hour later the nurse is called in for a repeat fainting episode. A c-peptide level is drawn and shown to be low. The patient appears ill, diaphoretic, and is barely arousable. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis in this child?

A 17-year-old boy with behavioral changes is brought in by his concerned parents. The patient’s parents say that he has been acting very odd and having difficulty academically for the past 4 months. The patient says that he has been worried and distracted because he is certain the government is secretly recording him although he cannot provide a reason why. He mentions that he does feel depressed sometimes and no longer gets joy out of playing the guitar and his other previous activities. He has no significant past medical history. The patient denies any history of smoking, alcohol consumption, or recreational drug use. He is afebrile, and his vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination is unremarkable. On mental status examination, the patient is slightly disheveled and unkempt. He has a disorganized monotonous speech pattern. He expresses tangential thinking and has a flat affect. During the exam, it is clear that he suffers from auditory hallucinations. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?

A 28-year-old man presents to his psychiatrist for continuing cognitive behavioral therapy for bipolar disorder. At this session, he reveals that he has had fantasies of killing his boss because he feels he is not treated fairly at work. He says that he has been stalking his boss and has made detailed plans for how to kill him in about a week. He then asks his psychiatrist not to reveal this information and says that he shared it only because he knew these therapy sessions would remain confidential. Which of the following actions should the psychiatrist take in this scenario?

A 3-year-old girl is brought to the pediatrician by her parents who are concerned that she is not developing normally. They say she does not talk and avoids eye contact. She prefers to sit and play with blocks by herself rather than engaging with other children. They also note that she will occasionally have violent outbursts in inappropriate situations. She is otherwise healthy. In the office, the patient sits quietly in the corner of the room stacking and unstacking blocks. Examination of the patient shows a well-developed female with no physical abnormalities. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?

An 81-year-old man is brought to the physician by his daughter after being found wandering on the street. His daughter says that over the past several months he has been more aggressive towards friends and family. She also reports several episodes in which he claimed to see two strangers in her apartment. He sometimes stares blankly for several minutes and does not react when addressed. He has hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and was diagnosed with Parkinson disease 10 months ago. His current medications include carbidopa-levodopa, hydrochlorothiazide, and atorvastatin. His temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 99/min, and blood pressure is 150/85 mm Hg. He is confused and oriented to person and place but not to time. There is a resting tremor in his right upper extremities. There is muscle rigidity in the upper and lower extremities. He is able to walk without assistance but has a slow gait with short steps. Mental status examination shows short-term memory deficits. Which of the following is the most likely underlying cause of this patient's condition?

A 25-year-old woman is brought to a psychiatrist's office by her husband who states that he is worried about her recent behavior, as it has become more violent. The patient's husband states that his family drove across the country to visit them and that his wife 'threatened his parents with a knife' at dinner last night. Police had to be called to calm her down. He states that she has been acting 'really crazy' for the last 9 months, and the initial behavior that caused him alarm was her admission that his deceased sister was talking to her through a decorative piece of ceramic art in the living room. Initially, he thought she was joking, but soon realized her complaints of 'hearing ghosts' talking to her throughout the house were persisting and 'getting worse'. Over the past 9 months, she has experienced multiple periods of profound sadness, with persistent insomnia and an unintentional weight loss of 12 pounds over several months. She has been complaining of feeling 'worthless' and has had markedly diminished interest in activities for much of this time period. Her general hygiene has also suffered from her recent lack of motivation and she insists that the 'ghosts' are asking her to kill as many people as she can so they won't be alone in the house. Her husband is extremely concerned that she may harm herself or someone else. He states that she currently does not take any medications or illicit drugs as far as he knows. She does not smoke or drink alcohol. The patient herself does not make eye contact or want to speak to the psychiatrist, allowing her husband to speak on her behalf. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?