COMLEX-USA Behavioral Sciences and Psychiatry 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which antidepressant class is associated with hypertensive crisis when combined with tyramine-rich foods?
- SSRIs
- SNRIs
- TCAs
- MAOIs (Correct answer)
Correct answer: MAOIs
MAOIs prevent tyramine breakdown in the gut; consuming tyramine-rich foods (aged cheese, cured meats) causes massive sympathetic activation and hypertensive crisis.
Question 2: A 7-year-old boy cannot sit still in class, interrupts others, and forgets homework daily. Which diagnosis is most likely?
- Oppositional defiant disorder
- Conduct disorder
- ADHD combined type (Correct answer)
- Autism spectrum disorder
Correct answer: ADHD combined type
ADHD combined type presents with both inattention (forgetfulness) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (can't sit still, interrupting) in multiple settings.
Question 3: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression is based primarily on which theoretical framework?
- Psychodynamic theory
- Cognitive triad (Beck's model) (Correct answer)
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
Correct answer: Cognitive triad (Beck's model)
Beck's cognitive triad (negative views of self, world, and future) underpins CBT, which aims to identify and restructure maladaptive thought patterns.
Question 4: A patient in alcohol withdrawal develops confusion, ophthalmoplegia, and ataxia. Which vitamin deficiency causes this triad?
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) (Correct answer)
- Niacin (B3)
Correct answer: Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
Wernicke's encephalopathy is caused by thiamine (B1) deficiency and presents with the classic triad of confusion, ophthalmoplegia, and ataxia.
Question 5: Which personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability in relationships, self-image, and affect, along with impulsivity and fear of abandonment?
- Narcissistic personality disorder
- Histrionic personality disorder
- Borderline personality disorder (Correct answer)
- Antisocial personality disorder
Correct answer: Borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder features identity disturbance, unstable intense relationships, impulsivity, affective instability, and frantic efforts to avoid abandonment.
Question 6: According to Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, the primary task of adolescence (ages 12–18) is:
- Industry vs. inferiority
- Identity vs. role confusion (Correct answer)
- Intimacy vs. isolation
- Generativity vs. stagnation
Correct answer: Identity vs. role confusion
Erikson's stage for adolescence is identity vs. role confusion, during which individuals explore and develop a coherent sense of personal identity.
COMLEX-USA Behavioral Sciences and Psychiatry 2
Which antidepressant class is associated with hypertensive crisis when combined with tyramine-rich foods?