FAMILY MEDICINE PAEA –
PSYCHIATRY EXAM 2025 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
A child has been under treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No
response has occurred with behavioral adaptations. Which of the following categories of
medication should this patient be given?
o A. stimulants
o B. anxiolytics
o C. antipsychotics
o D. antidepressants - ANS A
( Stimulants, such as Ritalin, Dexedrine, and Cylert, are effective in 50 to 80% of children with
ADHD)
Which of the following antipsychotic medications is associated with significant agranulocytosis
but not with extrapyramidal side effects?
o A. Clozapine (Clozaril)
o B. Haloperidol (Haldol)
o C. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
o D. Fluphenazine (Prolixin) - ANS ( Clozapine is referred as an "atypical" antipsychotic agent.
It can cause agranulocytosis and should be monitored with weekly CBC. This is not a first line
treatment drug)
Which of the following is effective in the long-term treatment of panic attacks?
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,o A. Triazolam
o B. Propranolol (Inderal)
o C. Lorazepam (Ativan)
o D. Fluoxetine (Prozac) - ANS D
(SSRI's, such as fluoxetine, are the initial drugs of choice for the long-term treatment of panic
disorders)
Phenothiazines exert their antipsychotic effects by blocking
o A. alpha-adrenergic receptors
o B. dopamine receptors
o C. histamine receptors
o D. serotonin receptors - ANS B
(Blockage of the dopamine receptors in the mesolimbic areas of the brain is responsible for the
antipsychotic effects of the phenothiazines; blockage of the dopamine receptors in the
nigrostriatal areas lead to the motor side effects, such as dystonia and akathisia)
Which of the following historical factors differentiates post-traumatic stress disorder from
acute stress disorder?
o A. The inability of the person to recall an important aspect of the event
o B. Avoidance of stimuli that invokes recollections of the event
o C. A belief that their future has been foreshortened because of the event
o D. The presence of sleep disorder - ANS C
(Post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder have many of the same
characteristics. A sense of a foreshortened future, such as not expecting a normal life span or a
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THESTAR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,career due to the trauma, distinguishes post-traumatic stress disorder from an acute stress
disorder. The other answers are common to both disorders)
A patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder would most likely have which of the following
findings?
o A. Raw, red hands
o B. Priapism
o C. Memory impairment
o D. Abdominal pain - ANS A
(Common manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder include phobias of germ and
contaminants, which results in frequent hand washing leading to chafe and reddened hands.
The other answers are inconsistent with obsessive-compulsive disorder)
A patient presents within one hour of ingesting 30 tablets of diazepam (Valium). Which of the
following is the most appropriate intervention?
o A. IV naloxone
o B. alkalinization of the urine
o C. cardiac pacing
o D. gastric lavage - ANS D
(Gastric lavage, along with the administration of activated charcoal and monitoring of vital signs
and CNS status is the mainstay of therapy in the person who has overdosed on
benzodiazepines. Vomiting should be induced in the person who is not comatose. Flumazenil
(Romazicon), a specific benzodiazepine antagonist, might be used with caution in certain
patients)
The most important initial component of evaluating a patient with depressive illness is
o A. assessment of suicidal risk
o B. assessment of memory function
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, o C. determination of the presence of hallucinations
o D. determination of the degree of intellectual impairment - ANS A
(Two-thirds of all depressed patients contemplate suicide, and 10 to 15% commit suicide)
A 53 year-old man with a history of hypertension is being treated with atenolol (Tenormin). He
currently presents complaining of chronic fatigue, insomnia, decreased appetite, and difficulty
concentrating for the past 3 weeks. His wife also notes that he no longer goes bowling with his
friends and has lost interest in any sexual intimacy. Physical examination is unremarkable.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
o A. major depression
o B. dysthymic disorder
o C. atypical depression
o D. drug-induced depression - ANS A
(Diagnostic criteria for a major depressive disorder include a loss of pleasure in usual activities,
vegetative or physical changes (poor appetite, loss of energy), and cognitive changes such as
difficulty in concentrating)
• A 56 year-old man is admitted to a hospital unit for evaluation of rectal bleeding and weight
loss. He has a strong family history of cancer. Soon after admission, a barium enema is
scheduled. The patient refuses the "prep" because he fears x-ray radiation. He states he has
had previous x-rays, but becomes frightened at the thought of an x-ray and "can't face it." The
most likely diagnosis is
o A. hysterical personality
o B. dissociative state
o C. conversion reaction
o D. phobic neurosis - ANS D
(Phobic neurosis is a phobic ideation of displacement where the patient transfers feelings of
anxiety from the object to one that can be avoided)
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THESTAR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
PSYCHIATRY EXAM 2025 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
A child has been under treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No
response has occurred with behavioral adaptations. Which of the following categories of
medication should this patient be given?
o A. stimulants
o B. anxiolytics
o C. antipsychotics
o D. antidepressants - ANS A
( Stimulants, such as Ritalin, Dexedrine, and Cylert, are effective in 50 to 80% of children with
ADHD)
Which of the following antipsychotic medications is associated with significant agranulocytosis
but not with extrapyramidal side effects?
o A. Clozapine (Clozaril)
o B. Haloperidol (Haldol)
o C. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
o D. Fluphenazine (Prolixin) - ANS ( Clozapine is referred as an "atypical" antipsychotic agent.
It can cause agranulocytosis and should be monitored with weekly CBC. This is not a first line
treatment drug)
Which of the following is effective in the long-term treatment of panic attacks?
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THESTAR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,o A. Triazolam
o B. Propranolol (Inderal)
o C. Lorazepam (Ativan)
o D. Fluoxetine (Prozac) - ANS D
(SSRI's, such as fluoxetine, are the initial drugs of choice for the long-term treatment of panic
disorders)
Phenothiazines exert their antipsychotic effects by blocking
o A. alpha-adrenergic receptors
o B. dopamine receptors
o C. histamine receptors
o D. serotonin receptors - ANS B
(Blockage of the dopamine receptors in the mesolimbic areas of the brain is responsible for the
antipsychotic effects of the phenothiazines; blockage of the dopamine receptors in the
nigrostriatal areas lead to the motor side effects, such as dystonia and akathisia)
Which of the following historical factors differentiates post-traumatic stress disorder from
acute stress disorder?
o A. The inability of the person to recall an important aspect of the event
o B. Avoidance of stimuli that invokes recollections of the event
o C. A belief that their future has been foreshortened because of the event
o D. The presence of sleep disorder - ANS C
(Post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder have many of the same
characteristics. A sense of a foreshortened future, such as not expecting a normal life span or a
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THESTAR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,career due to the trauma, distinguishes post-traumatic stress disorder from an acute stress
disorder. The other answers are common to both disorders)
A patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder would most likely have which of the following
findings?
o A. Raw, red hands
o B. Priapism
o C. Memory impairment
o D. Abdominal pain - ANS A
(Common manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder include phobias of germ and
contaminants, which results in frequent hand washing leading to chafe and reddened hands.
The other answers are inconsistent with obsessive-compulsive disorder)
A patient presents within one hour of ingesting 30 tablets of diazepam (Valium). Which of the
following is the most appropriate intervention?
o A. IV naloxone
o B. alkalinization of the urine
o C. cardiac pacing
o D. gastric lavage - ANS D
(Gastric lavage, along with the administration of activated charcoal and monitoring of vital signs
and CNS status is the mainstay of therapy in the person who has overdosed on
benzodiazepines. Vomiting should be induced in the person who is not comatose. Flumazenil
(Romazicon), a specific benzodiazepine antagonist, might be used with caution in certain
patients)
The most important initial component of evaluating a patient with depressive illness is
o A. assessment of suicidal risk
o B. assessment of memory function
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THESTAR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, o C. determination of the presence of hallucinations
o D. determination of the degree of intellectual impairment - ANS A
(Two-thirds of all depressed patients contemplate suicide, and 10 to 15% commit suicide)
A 53 year-old man with a history of hypertension is being treated with atenolol (Tenormin). He
currently presents complaining of chronic fatigue, insomnia, decreased appetite, and difficulty
concentrating for the past 3 weeks. His wife also notes that he no longer goes bowling with his
friends and has lost interest in any sexual intimacy. Physical examination is unremarkable.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
o A. major depression
o B. dysthymic disorder
o C. atypical depression
o D. drug-induced depression - ANS A
(Diagnostic criteria for a major depressive disorder include a loss of pleasure in usual activities,
vegetative or physical changes (poor appetite, loss of energy), and cognitive changes such as
difficulty in concentrating)
• A 56 year-old man is admitted to a hospital unit for evaluation of rectal bleeding and weight
loss. He has a strong family history of cancer. Soon after admission, a barium enema is
scheduled. The patient refuses the "prep" because he fears x-ray radiation. He states he has
had previous x-rays, but becomes frightened at the thought of an x-ray and "can't face it." The
most likely diagnosis is
o A. hysterical personality
o B. dissociative state
o C. conversion reaction
o D. phobic neurosis - ANS D
(Phobic neurosis is a phobic ideation of displacement where the patient transfers feelings of
anxiety from the object to one that can be avoided)
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THESTAR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
