EPPP-Abnormal Psychology EXAM | Verified Exam Questions and
Answers | Latest Updated Study Material 2026
Question:
EPPP-Abnormal Psychology EXAM | Comprehensive
DSM-5
Answer:
-Published in 2013
Question:
-Non-axial assessment system
-Polythetic: requires a patient to present with only a subset of characteristics from a larger list
-Diagnostic uncertainty can be coded as:
1. Other specified disorder: when the clinician wants to indicate the reason why the cl does not
meet criteria for a specific diagnosis
2. Unspecified disorder: when the clinician does not want to indicate why the cl does not meet
criteria
3. Provisional: clinician currently has insufficient information to make a firm diagnosis but
believes the full criteria will eventually be met
DSM-5 Diagnostic Categories
Answer:
Neurodevelopmental,
Schizophrenia Spectrum, Bipolar, Depressive, Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, Trauma- and
Stressor-Related, Dissociative, Somatic, Feeding and Eating, Elimination, Sleep-Wake, Sexual
Dysfunctions, Gender Dysphoria, Disruptive/Impulse Control/Conduct, Substance Abuse and
Addictive, Neurocognitive, Personality, Paraphilic
Question:
DSM-5 Assessment Measures
Answer:
1. Cross-cutting measures
Question:
2. Disorder-specific severity measures
,3. World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale (WHODAS)
4. Personality inventories
DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Tools
Answer:
1. Outline for Cultural
Formulation: provides guidelines for assessing cl's cultural identity, cultural conceptualization of
distress, psychosocial and cultural factors that impact vulnerability and resilience, and cultural
factors relevant to the therapist-cl relationship
Question:
2. Cultural Formulation Interview
3. Cultural Concepts of Distress
DSM-5 Cultural Concepts of Distress
Answer:
1. Cultural Syndromes:
clusters of symptoms that co-occur among individuals from a particular culture and are
recognized by individual from that culture as coherent patterns of experience
Question:
2. Cultural Idioms: used by members of different cultures to express distress and provide a
shared way of discussing concerns
3. Cultural Explanations: explanatory models used by members of a culture to explain causes of
symptoms, illness, and distress
Neurodevelopemental Disorders
Answer:
-Typically manifest early in
development
Question:
-Characterized by a developmental deficits that produce impairment of personal, social,
academic, or occupational functioning
Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder)
Answer:
-
Diagnostic Criteria: deficits in intellectual functioning; deficits in adaptive functioning across
multiple environments; onset occurs during developmental period
,Question:
-Four degrees of severity (mild, moderate, severe, profound) based on adaptive functioning
-Etiology: common causes include chromosomal changes, prenatal exposure to toxins,
pregnancy/perinatal problems, environmental factors, predisposing mental disorders, medical
conditions, hereditary
Communication Disorders: Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering)
Answer:
-Diagnostic criteria: disturbance in normal fluency and time patterning of
speech that is inappropriate for a person's age
Question:
-Onset: usually between ages 2-7
-Prognosis: 65-85% of children recover
-Treatment: reduction of psychological stress at home, habit reversal training
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Answer:
-Diagnostic criteria: persistent
deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts; restricted, repetitive
Question:
patterns of behavior, interests, or activities; symptom onset in early development; impairment in
functioning due to symptoms
-Associated features: intellectual impairments, language abnormalities, uneven cognitive
abilities, motor deficits
-Prognosis is poor; best outcome associated with verbal communication, IQ over 70, and later
onset
-Etiology: Genetic; brain and neurotransmitter abnormalities
-Treatment: behavioral interventions
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Answer:
-Diagnostic criteria:
pattern of at least 6 characteristic symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity; persisted for >=6
months; onset prior to age 12; present in at least 2 settings, impairment in functioning
, Question:
-Three specifies: predominately inattentive, predominately hyperactive, combined
-Associated features: academic difficulties, poor social adjustment, lower achievement, co-
morbid disorders common
-Prevalence: 5% for children; 2.5% for adults; more common in males
-Etiology: Genetic; brain abnormalities (smaller and less active caudate nucleus, globus pallidue,
prefrontal cortex) ; behavioral disinhibition hypothesis
-Treatment: stimulant medication, behavioral interventions
NIMH Multimodal Treatment Study for ADHD
Answer:
-Initially
medication alone and combined treatment produced similar results, with behavioral alone and
community care showing poorer outcomes
Question:
-However at 3 and 8 year follow-ups, all outcomes were comparable
Specific Learning Disorder
Answer:
-Diagnostic criteria: difficulties
related to academic skills as indicated by the presence of at least one characteristic symptom;
persists for >=6 months despite the provision of interventions targeting the ability; academic
skills are substantially below expected for age; onset during school-age years; impairment of
functioning
Question:
-Subtypes: reading, written expression, math
-Associated Features: co-morbid disorders
-Prevalence: more common in males
-Etiology: Genetic; cerebellar-vestibular dysfunction; hemispheric abnormalities; exposure to
toxins; deficits in phonological processing
Motor Disorders: Tic Disorder
Answer:
-Tic: sudden, rapid, recurrent,
non-rhythmic motor movement or vocalization
Answers | Latest Updated Study Material 2026
Question:
EPPP-Abnormal Psychology EXAM | Comprehensive
DSM-5
Answer:
-Published in 2013
Question:
-Non-axial assessment system
-Polythetic: requires a patient to present with only a subset of characteristics from a larger list
-Diagnostic uncertainty can be coded as:
1. Other specified disorder: when the clinician wants to indicate the reason why the cl does not
meet criteria for a specific diagnosis
2. Unspecified disorder: when the clinician does not want to indicate why the cl does not meet
criteria
3. Provisional: clinician currently has insufficient information to make a firm diagnosis but
believes the full criteria will eventually be met
DSM-5 Diagnostic Categories
Answer:
Neurodevelopmental,
Schizophrenia Spectrum, Bipolar, Depressive, Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, Trauma- and
Stressor-Related, Dissociative, Somatic, Feeding and Eating, Elimination, Sleep-Wake, Sexual
Dysfunctions, Gender Dysphoria, Disruptive/Impulse Control/Conduct, Substance Abuse and
Addictive, Neurocognitive, Personality, Paraphilic
Question:
DSM-5 Assessment Measures
Answer:
1. Cross-cutting measures
Question:
2. Disorder-specific severity measures
,3. World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale (WHODAS)
4. Personality inventories
DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Tools
Answer:
1. Outline for Cultural
Formulation: provides guidelines for assessing cl's cultural identity, cultural conceptualization of
distress, psychosocial and cultural factors that impact vulnerability and resilience, and cultural
factors relevant to the therapist-cl relationship
Question:
2. Cultural Formulation Interview
3. Cultural Concepts of Distress
DSM-5 Cultural Concepts of Distress
Answer:
1. Cultural Syndromes:
clusters of symptoms that co-occur among individuals from a particular culture and are
recognized by individual from that culture as coherent patterns of experience
Question:
2. Cultural Idioms: used by members of different cultures to express distress and provide a
shared way of discussing concerns
3. Cultural Explanations: explanatory models used by members of a culture to explain causes of
symptoms, illness, and distress
Neurodevelopemental Disorders
Answer:
-Typically manifest early in
development
Question:
-Characterized by a developmental deficits that produce impairment of personal, social,
academic, or occupational functioning
Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder)
Answer:
-
Diagnostic Criteria: deficits in intellectual functioning; deficits in adaptive functioning across
multiple environments; onset occurs during developmental period
,Question:
-Four degrees of severity (mild, moderate, severe, profound) based on adaptive functioning
-Etiology: common causes include chromosomal changes, prenatal exposure to toxins,
pregnancy/perinatal problems, environmental factors, predisposing mental disorders, medical
conditions, hereditary
Communication Disorders: Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering)
Answer:
-Diagnostic criteria: disturbance in normal fluency and time patterning of
speech that is inappropriate for a person's age
Question:
-Onset: usually between ages 2-7
-Prognosis: 65-85% of children recover
-Treatment: reduction of psychological stress at home, habit reversal training
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Answer:
-Diagnostic criteria: persistent
deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts; restricted, repetitive
Question:
patterns of behavior, interests, or activities; symptom onset in early development; impairment in
functioning due to symptoms
-Associated features: intellectual impairments, language abnormalities, uneven cognitive
abilities, motor deficits
-Prognosis is poor; best outcome associated with verbal communication, IQ over 70, and later
onset
-Etiology: Genetic; brain and neurotransmitter abnormalities
-Treatment: behavioral interventions
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Answer:
-Diagnostic criteria:
pattern of at least 6 characteristic symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity; persisted for >=6
months; onset prior to age 12; present in at least 2 settings, impairment in functioning
, Question:
-Three specifies: predominately inattentive, predominately hyperactive, combined
-Associated features: academic difficulties, poor social adjustment, lower achievement, co-
morbid disorders common
-Prevalence: 5% for children; 2.5% for adults; more common in males
-Etiology: Genetic; brain abnormalities (smaller and less active caudate nucleus, globus pallidue,
prefrontal cortex) ; behavioral disinhibition hypothesis
-Treatment: stimulant medication, behavioral interventions
NIMH Multimodal Treatment Study for ADHD
Answer:
-Initially
medication alone and combined treatment produced similar results, with behavioral alone and
community care showing poorer outcomes
Question:
-However at 3 and 8 year follow-ups, all outcomes were comparable
Specific Learning Disorder
Answer:
-Diagnostic criteria: difficulties
related to academic skills as indicated by the presence of at least one characteristic symptom;
persists for >=6 months despite the provision of interventions targeting the ability; academic
skills are substantially below expected for age; onset during school-age years; impairment of
functioning
Question:
-Subtypes: reading, written expression, math
-Associated Features: co-morbid disorders
-Prevalence: more common in males
-Etiology: Genetic; cerebellar-vestibular dysfunction; hemispheric abnormalities; exposure to
toxins; deficits in phonological processing
Motor Disorders: Tic Disorder
Answer:
-Tic: sudden, rapid, recurrent,
non-rhythmic motor movement or vocalization
