PSYC 3402 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | PSYC 3402 FINAL
EXAM STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
Mental Disorder and the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) - ANS ✔✔The primary tool used to
diagnose mental disorders
The International Statistical classification of Diseases (ICD) published by the World Health Organization is
used to classify mental disorders
The DSM-V (2013) - ANS ✔✔Key changes in this version include harmonization between the DSM and
the ICD and the dropping of a multi-axle description
Mental disorder - ANS ✔✔a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individuals:
cognition
emotion regulation , or behaviour that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological or
developmental process underlying mental functioning
They are associated with significant distress in social, occupational, or other important activities
The DSM III: - ANS ✔✔introduced the multi axial system designed to provide a more comprehensive
description of the individual being assessed
Axis I: Clinical disorders: - ANS ✔✔including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, phobias, schizophrenia,
bi-polar disorders, dissociative disorders gender identity disorders, eating disorders, substance-related
disorders and developmental and learning disorders
Axis II: - ANS ✔✔Mental retardation and personality disorders: including avoidant, dependent,
obsessive-compulsive, histrionic, antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal
disorders
Axis III: General Medical Conditions - ANS ✔✔that may be related to mental disorder or that might
influence the choice of medications for treating the disorder
Although the DSM-V dropped the multi-axial system the axial approach is still somewhat helpful from a
criminal justice and criminal responsibility perspective - ANS ✔✔Axis I: Individuals meeting axis I
disorder are to be diverted to the mental health system rather than go through the criminal justice
system
Axis II: disorders, symptoms disrupt interactions with others but do not impair one's ability to know right
from wrong and to form intent
Assessment And decisions regarding mental disordered conflict with the courts: - ANS ✔✔In cases where
the police immediately considers the individuals to be mentally disordered they can take them directly to
a psychiatric emergency department in a hospital
If concern still remain after examination by a psychiatrist the accused can be involuntarily admitted to a
psychiatric hospital under a civil commitment order
,Alternatively, the accused can be arrested, taken to jail/court, ad then referred for a forensic assessment
Time limit is usually 30 days
Unfit to stand trial: Section 2 of the Canadian Criminal code: - ANS ✔✔" An accused is unfit to stand trial
if he or she is unable on account of a mental disorder to conduct a defence at any stage of the
proceedings before a verdict is rendered or to instruct counsel to do so, and in particular on account of
mental disorder to: Understand the nature or object of the proceedings Understand the possible
consequences of the proceedings Or communicate with counsel
Problems with Diagnoses: - ANS ✔✔Developed primarily by psychiatry so may not reflect psychological
research
Is unrelated to causation
There are different classification systems
Prevalence varies by model used
Canada & UK are using severe personality disorder as a criterion for indeterminate sentencing
Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) - ANS ✔✔If there is no criminal
intent then there is no crime, it is presumed that if you know what you're doing and subsequently
choose to do it, you are culpable. (Mens rea)
If you are mental disorders and undo not understand the consequences fo your actions then you should
not be culpable for your actions (no mens rea)
If a person fails this competency assessment they may be diverted to mental health system
he effects of deinstitutionalization on the Prison population - ANS ✔✔Given this deinstitutionalization of
mentally ill patients over 2 decades in Canada it is possible that the resultant diminished access to health
care and social support systems led to these patients seeking such services in the criminal justice system
In comparison to community rates, offenders experience much greater mental health symptoms,
consistent with Teplin's (1990) comment that: Jails have become a repository of the severely mentally ill
Criminalization of the mentally ill (Brink et al 2001): - ANS ✔✔People with antisocial personality engage
in criminal behaviour. Prisoners have high rates of antisocial personality. Therefore, mental disorder is
related to crime
Brink, Doherty and Boer (2001): - ANS ✔✔Concluded that such findings suggest that inadequate social
policy and arrest bias alone fail to explain the high prevalence rates of mental disorders in prison
populations
Stigma: - ANS ✔✔is primarily a problem of behaviours resulting in the unfair inequitable treatment of
people with mental illness a common misconception is that all mentally ill individuals are violent and
unpredictable, as this is often depicted in media
It occurs at individual,
group,
and agency levels
Self stigma: - ANS ✔✔occurs when people with mental illness accept and agree wit negative cultural
stereotypes. They may feel ashamed, blameworthy and try to conceal their illness from others
, Public stigma: - ANS ✔✔encompasses the prejudicial attributes and discriminatory behaviours expressed
toward people with mental illness by menbers of the public. This related to challenges such individuals
face when attempting re-entry into the community after being in prison
Agency Stigma: - ANS ✔✔occurs at the level of institutions, policies and laws, it creates situation in
which people with mental illness are treated inequitably and unfairly such as placement in segregation
Street corner psychiatrists (Teplin): - ANS ✔✔Police have considerable direction in deciding how to
manage crisis and whether or not to arrest a person. When dealing with a mentally ill person they may
decide to informally resolve the problem, to arrest the person or to take the person to a hospital for
evolution
Facts about people with mental illness - ANS ✔✔2 in 5 people with mental illness have been arrested in
their lifetime
3 in 10 people with mental illness have had the police involved in their care pathway
1 in 7 referrals to emergency psychiatric inpatient service involve the police
1 in 20 police dispatches or encounters involve people with mental health problems
Half of the interactions between the police and people with mental illness involve alleged criminal
behaviour
2 in 5 encounters between the police and people with mental illness involve situations that are unrelated
to criminal conduct
The majority of interactions between the evolve and people with mental illness are initiated by either
the police (25% of the time), the person with mental illness (15% of the time) or their family (20% of the
time)
People with mental illness are over-represented in police shooting, stun gun incidents and fatalities
Mental Health commission of Canada 3 day conference included: - ANS ✔✔People with lived experience
of mental illness she be included
Collaboration is essential
Collaboration requires information sharing
A sense of procedural justice is key
Housing, peer support, and access to interdisciplinary support are hallmarks of successful programs
Police must have good mental health themselves
Removing stigma improves interactions and outcomes
The full continuum of resources needs to be engaged
Cotton and Coleman: - ANS ✔✔traditional policing has been primarily reactive
while contemporary policing reflects more proactive interventionists approach to prevent or minimize
crime
EXAM STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
Mental Disorder and the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) - ANS ✔✔The primary tool used to
diagnose mental disorders
The International Statistical classification of Diseases (ICD) published by the World Health Organization is
used to classify mental disorders
The DSM-V (2013) - ANS ✔✔Key changes in this version include harmonization between the DSM and
the ICD and the dropping of a multi-axle description
Mental disorder - ANS ✔✔a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individuals:
cognition
emotion regulation , or behaviour that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological or
developmental process underlying mental functioning
They are associated with significant distress in social, occupational, or other important activities
The DSM III: - ANS ✔✔introduced the multi axial system designed to provide a more comprehensive
description of the individual being assessed
Axis I: Clinical disorders: - ANS ✔✔including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, phobias, schizophrenia,
bi-polar disorders, dissociative disorders gender identity disorders, eating disorders, substance-related
disorders and developmental and learning disorders
Axis II: - ANS ✔✔Mental retardation and personality disorders: including avoidant, dependent,
obsessive-compulsive, histrionic, antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal
disorders
Axis III: General Medical Conditions - ANS ✔✔that may be related to mental disorder or that might
influence the choice of medications for treating the disorder
Although the DSM-V dropped the multi-axial system the axial approach is still somewhat helpful from a
criminal justice and criminal responsibility perspective - ANS ✔✔Axis I: Individuals meeting axis I
disorder are to be diverted to the mental health system rather than go through the criminal justice
system
Axis II: disorders, symptoms disrupt interactions with others but do not impair one's ability to know right
from wrong and to form intent
Assessment And decisions regarding mental disordered conflict with the courts: - ANS ✔✔In cases where
the police immediately considers the individuals to be mentally disordered they can take them directly to
a psychiatric emergency department in a hospital
If concern still remain after examination by a psychiatrist the accused can be involuntarily admitted to a
psychiatric hospital under a civil commitment order
,Alternatively, the accused can be arrested, taken to jail/court, ad then referred for a forensic assessment
Time limit is usually 30 days
Unfit to stand trial: Section 2 of the Canadian Criminal code: - ANS ✔✔" An accused is unfit to stand trial
if he or she is unable on account of a mental disorder to conduct a defence at any stage of the
proceedings before a verdict is rendered or to instruct counsel to do so, and in particular on account of
mental disorder to: Understand the nature or object of the proceedings Understand the possible
consequences of the proceedings Or communicate with counsel
Problems with Diagnoses: - ANS ✔✔Developed primarily by psychiatry so may not reflect psychological
research
Is unrelated to causation
There are different classification systems
Prevalence varies by model used
Canada & UK are using severe personality disorder as a criterion for indeterminate sentencing
Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) - ANS ✔✔If there is no criminal
intent then there is no crime, it is presumed that if you know what you're doing and subsequently
choose to do it, you are culpable. (Mens rea)
If you are mental disorders and undo not understand the consequences fo your actions then you should
not be culpable for your actions (no mens rea)
If a person fails this competency assessment they may be diverted to mental health system
he effects of deinstitutionalization on the Prison population - ANS ✔✔Given this deinstitutionalization of
mentally ill patients over 2 decades in Canada it is possible that the resultant diminished access to health
care and social support systems led to these patients seeking such services in the criminal justice system
In comparison to community rates, offenders experience much greater mental health symptoms,
consistent with Teplin's (1990) comment that: Jails have become a repository of the severely mentally ill
Criminalization of the mentally ill (Brink et al 2001): - ANS ✔✔People with antisocial personality engage
in criminal behaviour. Prisoners have high rates of antisocial personality. Therefore, mental disorder is
related to crime
Brink, Doherty and Boer (2001): - ANS ✔✔Concluded that such findings suggest that inadequate social
policy and arrest bias alone fail to explain the high prevalence rates of mental disorders in prison
populations
Stigma: - ANS ✔✔is primarily a problem of behaviours resulting in the unfair inequitable treatment of
people with mental illness a common misconception is that all mentally ill individuals are violent and
unpredictable, as this is often depicted in media
It occurs at individual,
group,
and agency levels
Self stigma: - ANS ✔✔occurs when people with mental illness accept and agree wit negative cultural
stereotypes. They may feel ashamed, blameworthy and try to conceal their illness from others
, Public stigma: - ANS ✔✔encompasses the prejudicial attributes and discriminatory behaviours expressed
toward people with mental illness by menbers of the public. This related to challenges such individuals
face when attempting re-entry into the community after being in prison
Agency Stigma: - ANS ✔✔occurs at the level of institutions, policies and laws, it creates situation in
which people with mental illness are treated inequitably and unfairly such as placement in segregation
Street corner psychiatrists (Teplin): - ANS ✔✔Police have considerable direction in deciding how to
manage crisis and whether or not to arrest a person. When dealing with a mentally ill person they may
decide to informally resolve the problem, to arrest the person or to take the person to a hospital for
evolution
Facts about people with mental illness - ANS ✔✔2 in 5 people with mental illness have been arrested in
their lifetime
3 in 10 people with mental illness have had the police involved in their care pathway
1 in 7 referrals to emergency psychiatric inpatient service involve the police
1 in 20 police dispatches or encounters involve people with mental health problems
Half of the interactions between the police and people with mental illness involve alleged criminal
behaviour
2 in 5 encounters between the police and people with mental illness involve situations that are unrelated
to criminal conduct
The majority of interactions between the evolve and people with mental illness are initiated by either
the police (25% of the time), the person with mental illness (15% of the time) or their family (20% of the
time)
People with mental illness are over-represented in police shooting, stun gun incidents and fatalities
Mental Health commission of Canada 3 day conference included: - ANS ✔✔People with lived experience
of mental illness she be included
Collaboration is essential
Collaboration requires information sharing
A sense of procedural justice is key
Housing, peer support, and access to interdisciplinary support are hallmarks of successful programs
Police must have good mental health themselves
Removing stigma improves interactions and outcomes
The full continuum of resources needs to be engaged
Cotton and Coleman: - ANS ✔✔traditional policing has been primarily reactive
while contemporary policing reflects more proactive interventionists approach to prevent or minimize
crime
