NRNP 6675 WEEK 7- CONTROVERSY
ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONALITY AND
PARAPHILIC DISORDERS EXAM 300 ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALE LATEST UPDATE
Section 1: Personality Disorder Diagnosis and Classification
Controversy (Questions 1–60)
Question 1
What is the primary controversy surrounding the categorical diagnosis of
personality disorders in the DSM-5?
A. Personality disorders are not real mental illnesses
B. The categorical approach creates arbitrary distinctions between patients who
meet criteria and those who fall just short, while many patients meet criteria for
multiple disorders
C. Personality disorders should only be diagnosed in adults over 40
D. There is no controversy; the categorical system is universally accepted
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An exclusively categorical approach can lead to multiple personality
disorder diagnoses being needed to describe a patient's personality pathology and
arbitrary distinctions between patients whose conditions meet criteria for a disorder
and those who fall just short of meeting criteria.
Question 2
What is the alternative model of personality disorders published in DSM-5 Section
III?
A. A purely categorical system
B. A hybrid dimensional-categorical model
C. A purely dimensional system with no categories
D. A system based only on biological markers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A compromise hybrid dimensional-categorical model—the favored
option of most personality disorder experts—was developed and published in
DSM-5 Section III as the alternative model.
,Question 3
Which of the following is a criticism of the DSM-5 Section III alternative model of
personality disorders?
A. It has no empirical basis
B. It has been criticized for its indeterminate clinical utility
C. It is too simple to use
D. It eliminates all personality disorder diagnoses
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The attempt to combat limitations associated with primarily categorical
or dimensional approaches was met with criticism regarding the alternative model's
indeterminate clinical utility.
Question 4
What did the DSM-5 Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group originally
propose?
A. Maintaining the exact DSM-IV criteria
B. A single diagnostic category called "personality disorder" with a dimensional
approach
C. Eliminating personality disorders entirely
D. Adding ten new personality disorder categories
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The work group proposed a single diagnostic category called
"personality disorder" with a dimensional approach that would replace the
categorical system in Section II.
Question 5
Which model of personality disorder diagnosis is used in ICD-11?
A. Purely categorical
B. Purely dimensional
C. Dimensional diagnostic model
D. No personality disorder diagnosis exists in ICD-11
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Both the DSM-5 and ICD-11 include, for the first time, dimensional
diagnostic models for personality disorder.
Question 6
What is the primary advantage of a dimensional approach to personality disorder
diagnosis?
A. It is faster to use
,B. It captures the continuum of personality pathology rather than forcing arbitrary
cutoffs
C. It eliminates the need for clinical judgment
D. It requires no training
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A dimensional approach addresses the problem of arbitrary distinctions
between patients who meet criteria and those who fall just short.
Question 7
Why did some experts criticize the DSM-5 Section III alternative model?
A. It was too similar to DSM-IV
B. Its thresholds for diagnosis and decision rules had insufficient empirical support
C. It was too easy to use
D. It eliminated too many diagnoses
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Critics argued that the alternative model's thresholds for diagnosis,
criteria composition, and decision rules lacked sufficient empirical support.
Question 8
What does the term "reification" refer to in the context of personality disorder
diagnosis?
A. Making the diagnosis more reliable
B. Treating a diagnostic category as if it were a concrete, discrete entity when it is
actually a social construct
C. Increasing the validity of the diagnosis
D. Reducing stigma
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Classifications in psychiatry can give rise to reification and lend
substance to diagnostic categories that may not represent discrete entities.
Question 9
What is a key difference between the DSM-5 Section II and Section III models?
A. Section II is dimensional; Section III is categorical
B. Section II retains the traditional categorical model; Section III contains the
alternative hybrid model
C. They are identical
D. Section III has been officially adopted as the primary diagnostic system
Correct Answer: B
, Rationale: DSM-5's main body (Section II) retains a traditional, categorical model
of 10 putatively distinct PDs, while Section III contains the alternative hybrid
model.
Question 10
What is the "borderline" label controversy?
A. There is no controversy about the borderline label
B. The term "borderline" is a misnomer that lacks descriptive validity and carries
significant stigma
C. The term is universally preferred by patients
D. The term is used only in research settings
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The term "borderline" is a historical misnomer that does not describe the
disorder's actual features and is heavily stigmatized.
Question 11
What alternative label for borderline personality disorder do patients prefer?
A. Emotionally unstable personality disorder
B. Emotional intensity disorder
C. Complex trauma disorder
D. All of the above
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Patients find the term "borderline personality disorder" offensive and
prefer alternatives including "emotional intensity disorder" and "emotionally
unstable personality disorder".
Question 12
What did ICD-10 rename borderline personality disorder to?
A. Emotional intensity disorder
B. Emotionally unstable personality disorder
C. Complex PTSD
D. There was no change
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The term had taken on such a stigmatizing connotation that it was
renamed "emotionally unstable personality disorder" in ICD-10.
Question 13
Which personality disorder diagnosis has been criticized as reflecting the
clinician's affective state rather than careful assessment?
A. Narcissistic personality disorder
ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONALITY AND
PARAPHILIC DISORDERS EXAM 300 ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALE LATEST UPDATE
Section 1: Personality Disorder Diagnosis and Classification
Controversy (Questions 1–60)
Question 1
What is the primary controversy surrounding the categorical diagnosis of
personality disorders in the DSM-5?
A. Personality disorders are not real mental illnesses
B. The categorical approach creates arbitrary distinctions between patients who
meet criteria and those who fall just short, while many patients meet criteria for
multiple disorders
C. Personality disorders should only be diagnosed in adults over 40
D. There is no controversy; the categorical system is universally accepted
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An exclusively categorical approach can lead to multiple personality
disorder diagnoses being needed to describe a patient's personality pathology and
arbitrary distinctions between patients whose conditions meet criteria for a disorder
and those who fall just short of meeting criteria.
Question 2
What is the alternative model of personality disorders published in DSM-5 Section
III?
A. A purely categorical system
B. A hybrid dimensional-categorical model
C. A purely dimensional system with no categories
D. A system based only on biological markers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A compromise hybrid dimensional-categorical model—the favored
option of most personality disorder experts—was developed and published in
DSM-5 Section III as the alternative model.
,Question 3
Which of the following is a criticism of the DSM-5 Section III alternative model of
personality disorders?
A. It has no empirical basis
B. It has been criticized for its indeterminate clinical utility
C. It is too simple to use
D. It eliminates all personality disorder diagnoses
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The attempt to combat limitations associated with primarily categorical
or dimensional approaches was met with criticism regarding the alternative model's
indeterminate clinical utility.
Question 4
What did the DSM-5 Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group originally
propose?
A. Maintaining the exact DSM-IV criteria
B. A single diagnostic category called "personality disorder" with a dimensional
approach
C. Eliminating personality disorders entirely
D. Adding ten new personality disorder categories
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The work group proposed a single diagnostic category called
"personality disorder" with a dimensional approach that would replace the
categorical system in Section II.
Question 5
Which model of personality disorder diagnosis is used in ICD-11?
A. Purely categorical
B. Purely dimensional
C. Dimensional diagnostic model
D. No personality disorder diagnosis exists in ICD-11
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Both the DSM-5 and ICD-11 include, for the first time, dimensional
diagnostic models for personality disorder.
Question 6
What is the primary advantage of a dimensional approach to personality disorder
diagnosis?
A. It is faster to use
,B. It captures the continuum of personality pathology rather than forcing arbitrary
cutoffs
C. It eliminates the need for clinical judgment
D. It requires no training
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A dimensional approach addresses the problem of arbitrary distinctions
between patients who meet criteria and those who fall just short.
Question 7
Why did some experts criticize the DSM-5 Section III alternative model?
A. It was too similar to DSM-IV
B. Its thresholds for diagnosis and decision rules had insufficient empirical support
C. It was too easy to use
D. It eliminated too many diagnoses
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Critics argued that the alternative model's thresholds for diagnosis,
criteria composition, and decision rules lacked sufficient empirical support.
Question 8
What does the term "reification" refer to in the context of personality disorder
diagnosis?
A. Making the diagnosis more reliable
B. Treating a diagnostic category as if it were a concrete, discrete entity when it is
actually a social construct
C. Increasing the validity of the diagnosis
D. Reducing stigma
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Classifications in psychiatry can give rise to reification and lend
substance to diagnostic categories that may not represent discrete entities.
Question 9
What is a key difference between the DSM-5 Section II and Section III models?
A. Section II is dimensional; Section III is categorical
B. Section II retains the traditional categorical model; Section III contains the
alternative hybrid model
C. They are identical
D. Section III has been officially adopted as the primary diagnostic system
Correct Answer: B
, Rationale: DSM-5's main body (Section II) retains a traditional, categorical model
of 10 putatively distinct PDs, while Section III contains the alternative hybrid
model.
Question 10
What is the "borderline" label controversy?
A. There is no controversy about the borderline label
B. The term "borderline" is a misnomer that lacks descriptive validity and carries
significant stigma
C. The term is universally preferred by patients
D. The term is used only in research settings
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The term "borderline" is a historical misnomer that does not describe the
disorder's actual features and is heavily stigmatized.
Question 11
What alternative label for borderline personality disorder do patients prefer?
A. Emotionally unstable personality disorder
B. Emotional intensity disorder
C. Complex trauma disorder
D. All of the above
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Patients find the term "borderline personality disorder" offensive and
prefer alternatives including "emotional intensity disorder" and "emotionally
unstable personality disorder".
Question 12
What did ICD-10 rename borderline personality disorder to?
A. Emotional intensity disorder
B. Emotionally unstable personality disorder
C. Complex PTSD
D. There was no change
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The term had taken on such a stigmatizing connotation that it was
renamed "emotionally unstable personality disorder" in ICD-10.
Question 13
Which personality disorder diagnosis has been criticized as reflecting the
clinician's affective state rather than careful assessment?
A. Narcissistic personality disorder
