CMN 552 EXAM 2 COMPREHENSIVE
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ What unique physiological response is associated with blood-
injury-illness phobia?
Answer: Bradycardia and hypotension.
◉ What is the heritability factor for specific phobias?
Answer: There is a genetic component, but it is not specific to the
type of phobia.
◉ How do environmental factors influence specific phobias?
Answer: Trauma may play a more significant role in the
development of many specific phobias.
◉ What is the relationship between social anxiety disorder and
suicide attempts?
Answer: There is a markedly increased rate of suicide attempts
among patients with social anxiety disorder.
◉ What treatment has demonstrated efficacy for social anxiety
disorder?
,Answer: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
◉ What are the first-line pharmacologic treatments for social
anxiety disorder?
Answer: Serotonergic agents, with beta blockers used for the
performance subtype.
◉ What is the typical course of social anxiety disorder?
Answer: It is a chronic condition with a high rate of symptom re-
emergence after remission.
◉ What differentiates agoraphobia from social anxiety disorder?
Answer: Agoraphobia involves fear of panic or shame in public
situations, while social anxiety disorder involves fear of being
judged.
◉ What is the prevalence of comorbid depressive disorders in
patients with agoraphobia?
Answer: 33 to 52 percent.
◉ What is a common confusion in diagnosing agoraphobia?
Answer: It can be confused with social anxiety disorder or PTSD due
to context-dependent fears.
,◉ What is the typical duration for a specific phobia to be diagnosed?
Answer: Longer than 6 months.
◉ What is the significance of the DSM-5's recognition of
agoraphobia without panic disorder?
Answer: It encourages clinicians to screen for agoraphobia more
frequently.
◉ What is a common characteristic of patients with specific
phobias?
Answer: They often have multiple phobic stimuli, each coded
separately.
◉ What is the impact of parenting styles on the familial risk of social
anxiety disorder?
Answer: Parenting styles may contribute to the familial risk,
although specific genetic factors are not well understood.
◉ What environmental factors may contribute to phobias?
Answer: Trauma and conditioning.
◉ What is the treatment of choice for Specific Phobia?
Answer: Behavioral therapy series that includes exposure-based,
systematic desensitization.
, ◉ What insight do patients with Specific Phobia often recognize?
Answer: Their anxiety exceeds the true threat of the stimulus.
◉ What is the lifetime prevalence rate of Generalized Anxiety
Disorder (GAD)?
Answer: 5 percent.
◉ What age group commonly begins to experience GAD?
Answer: Late teens.
◉ Which gender is more commonly affected by GAD?
Answer: Women.
◉ What are common comorbidities associated with GAD?
Answer: Other anxiety spectrum disorders and substance use
disorders.
◉ What significant change occurred in the DSM-5 regarding
Separation Anxiety Disorder?
Answer: Removal of the age-of-onset restriction.
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ What unique physiological response is associated with blood-
injury-illness phobia?
Answer: Bradycardia and hypotension.
◉ What is the heritability factor for specific phobias?
Answer: There is a genetic component, but it is not specific to the
type of phobia.
◉ How do environmental factors influence specific phobias?
Answer: Trauma may play a more significant role in the
development of many specific phobias.
◉ What is the relationship between social anxiety disorder and
suicide attempts?
Answer: There is a markedly increased rate of suicide attempts
among patients with social anxiety disorder.
◉ What treatment has demonstrated efficacy for social anxiety
disorder?
,Answer: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
◉ What are the first-line pharmacologic treatments for social
anxiety disorder?
Answer: Serotonergic agents, with beta blockers used for the
performance subtype.
◉ What is the typical course of social anxiety disorder?
Answer: It is a chronic condition with a high rate of symptom re-
emergence after remission.
◉ What differentiates agoraphobia from social anxiety disorder?
Answer: Agoraphobia involves fear of panic or shame in public
situations, while social anxiety disorder involves fear of being
judged.
◉ What is the prevalence of comorbid depressive disorders in
patients with agoraphobia?
Answer: 33 to 52 percent.
◉ What is a common confusion in diagnosing agoraphobia?
Answer: It can be confused with social anxiety disorder or PTSD due
to context-dependent fears.
,◉ What is the typical duration for a specific phobia to be diagnosed?
Answer: Longer than 6 months.
◉ What is the significance of the DSM-5's recognition of
agoraphobia without panic disorder?
Answer: It encourages clinicians to screen for agoraphobia more
frequently.
◉ What is a common characteristic of patients with specific
phobias?
Answer: They often have multiple phobic stimuli, each coded
separately.
◉ What is the impact of parenting styles on the familial risk of social
anxiety disorder?
Answer: Parenting styles may contribute to the familial risk,
although specific genetic factors are not well understood.
◉ What environmental factors may contribute to phobias?
Answer: Trauma and conditioning.
◉ What is the treatment of choice for Specific Phobia?
Answer: Behavioral therapy series that includes exposure-based,
systematic desensitization.
, ◉ What insight do patients with Specific Phobia often recognize?
Answer: Their anxiety exceeds the true threat of the stimulus.
◉ What is the lifetime prevalence rate of Generalized Anxiety
Disorder (GAD)?
Answer: 5 percent.
◉ What age group commonly begins to experience GAD?
Answer: Late teens.
◉ Which gender is more commonly affected by GAD?
Answer: Women.
◉ What are common comorbidities associated with GAD?
Answer: Other anxiety spectrum disorders and substance use
disorders.
◉ What significant change occurred in the DSM-5 regarding
Separation Anxiety Disorder?
Answer: Removal of the age-of-onset restriction.
