PMH-C Exam 2026/2027 COMPLETE QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
• What are the PMAD etiologies (causes)? -✓✓ Biological Sensitivity to hormonal
changes (sleep deprivation), Vulnerability (such as genetic disposition), psychological
(relationship with own mother, ambivalence to parenthood, self-image/perfectionism),
Social/environmental (hx of trauma, poor social support, institutional racism).
• In what ways does culture influence whether PMAD's are recognized? -✓✓ There are
diverse ways that mothers conceptualize and explain their symptoms culturally. They
may not feel they are safe to express their symptoms. May be expressed in somatic (eg.
stomach pains or appetite changes) or affective ways (moods, feelings).
• Why is there variability in prevalence rates of PMAD's? -✓✓ Cultural context,
screening inventories, cutoffs used on objective measures, timing of screening and
onset of symptoms, relationship between the subject and the researcher.
• What is the strongest predictor for paternal (fathers) depression. -✓✓ Maternal
depression
• When do father's depressive symptoms spike? -✓✓ Between 3-6 months postpartum
• What is "masked" male depression? -✓✓ Rather than sadnes, men may increase
substance use, be more irritable, aggressive or hostile. May "check out", self isolate.
• Possible factors for partner depression. -✓✓ Feeling burdened/trapped, financial
burdens, feeling left out, missing sexual relationship, sleep deprivation, isolation and
loneliness, poor social support network.
• Is this pregnancy emotions or depression? Mood is labile (frequently changes), teary. -
✓✓ Pregnancy
• Is this pregnancy emotions or depression? Mood is gloom, irritable, agitation, or rage -
✓✓ Depression
• Is this pregnancy emotions or depression? Self esteem is low. Guilt. -✓✓ Depression
(In pregnancy, self esteem is unchanged)
• Is this pregnancy emotions or depression? Difficulty initiating and/or sustaining sleep. -
✓✓ Depression (Having to urinate frequently or having heartburn are symptoms of
pregnancy).
,• Is this pregnancy or depression? Fatigue, rest does not restore. -✓✓ Depression (May
be tired during pregnancy but rest restores.)
• Is this pregnancy or depression? Anhedonia -✓✓ Depression. Anhedonia is the
inability to feel pleasure.
• Is this pregnancy or depression? Dysregulation of appetite -✓✓ Depression
• How many new mothers are universally affected by the Baby Blues? -✓✓ 60-80%
• Hormone fluctuation at the time of birth and acute sleep deprivation can lead to what
common situation or non-disorder? -✓✓ baby blues
• How long do the baby blues last? -✓✓ 2 days to 2 weeks after birth
• When do baby blues typically peak? -✓✓ on day 3-5 after delivery.
• What are the symptoms of baby blues? -✓✓ tearfulness, lability, reactivity, and
exhaustion. Unrelated to stress or prior psychiatric hx.
• When making a determination between baby blues and major depression, what should
be considered? -✓✓ severity/intensity, timing/onset, duration/chronicity
• Under the DSM-5, what code can we use for postpartum depression? -✓✓ Major
Unipolar Depression (with peripartum onset)
• For the DSM-5 code of Major Unipolar Depression (with peripartum onset), 5 or more
symptoms must be present with the same 2-week period: -✓✓ Depressed mood most of
the day nearly every day. Loss of interest, joy or pleasure (anhedonia). Significant wt or
appetite changes. Sleep disturbances. Psychomotor agitation/retardation. Fatigue/loss
of energy. Poor concentration/focus/indecisiveness. Feelings of worthlessness.
Excessive/inappropriate guilt. Recurrent thoughts of death/suicidal thoughts.
• Signs of Generalized Anxiety Disorder -✓✓ Excessive anxiety/worry. Difficulty
controlling one's worry. Agitation/Irritability. Restlessness. Poor concentration. Easily
fatigues/sleep disturbances. Increased somatic symptoms.
• What is the prevalence for prenatal anxiety? -✓✓ 15.8%
• What is the prevalence estimates for postpartum anxiety symptoms? -✓✓ 8%-20%
• Panic Disorder symptoms? -✓✓ Episodes of intense fear or discomfort reaching a
peak within minutes. SOB, chest pain, dizziness, feeling of choking. Hot/Cold flashes.
Restlessness, rapid heart beat, numbness/tingling sensations. Excessive worry/fear.
, Feeling as though "going crazy", losing control, or having a future attack. Often no
identifiable trigger.
• What are the 3 greatest fears of a panic disorder? -✓✓ Fear of dying, fear of losing
control, fear of going crazy.
• What term describes recurrent and persistent thoughts, or impulses that are intrusive
and unwanted and cause marked anxiety or distress? Individuals tend to attempt to try
to ignore or suppress the thoughts, urges, or images or to neutralize them with some
other thought or action. -✓✓ Obsessions
• What term describes repetitive behaviors that the individual feels driven to perform in
response to the obsession. Behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or
reducing anxiety or distress. -✓✓ Compulsions
• Perinatal women are at a _____ greater risk for OCD onset than the general
population. -✓✓ 1.5-2X
• ___% had OCD onset in the perinatal period. -✓✓ 32%
• Severe OCD remains largely unchanged across___ -✓✓ pregnancy and the
postpartum period.
• 65% have co-morbid depression along with what? -✓✓ Perinatal OCD
• ego-dystonic thoughts -✓✓ Thoughts or impulses and behaviors that are felt to be
distressing, unacceptable, or inconsistent with one's self concept.
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent recognizes thoughts/images are
unhealthy. -✓✓ Perinatal OCD
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent has extreme anxiety related to
thoughts/images. -✓✓ Perinatal OCD
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent is overly concerned about
"becoming crazy" or "snapping". -✓✓ Perinatal OCD.
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent does not recognize
actions/thoughts are unhealthy. -✓✓ Perinatal Psychosis
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent may seem to have less anxiety
when indulging in thoughts/behaviors. -✓✓ perinatal psychosis
WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
• What are the PMAD etiologies (causes)? -✓✓ Biological Sensitivity to hormonal
changes (sleep deprivation), Vulnerability (such as genetic disposition), psychological
(relationship with own mother, ambivalence to parenthood, self-image/perfectionism),
Social/environmental (hx of trauma, poor social support, institutional racism).
• In what ways does culture influence whether PMAD's are recognized? -✓✓ There are
diverse ways that mothers conceptualize and explain their symptoms culturally. They
may not feel they are safe to express their symptoms. May be expressed in somatic (eg.
stomach pains or appetite changes) or affective ways (moods, feelings).
• Why is there variability in prevalence rates of PMAD's? -✓✓ Cultural context,
screening inventories, cutoffs used on objective measures, timing of screening and
onset of symptoms, relationship between the subject and the researcher.
• What is the strongest predictor for paternal (fathers) depression. -✓✓ Maternal
depression
• When do father's depressive symptoms spike? -✓✓ Between 3-6 months postpartum
• What is "masked" male depression? -✓✓ Rather than sadnes, men may increase
substance use, be more irritable, aggressive or hostile. May "check out", self isolate.
• Possible factors for partner depression. -✓✓ Feeling burdened/trapped, financial
burdens, feeling left out, missing sexual relationship, sleep deprivation, isolation and
loneliness, poor social support network.
• Is this pregnancy emotions or depression? Mood is labile (frequently changes), teary. -
✓✓ Pregnancy
• Is this pregnancy emotions or depression? Mood is gloom, irritable, agitation, or rage -
✓✓ Depression
• Is this pregnancy emotions or depression? Self esteem is low. Guilt. -✓✓ Depression
(In pregnancy, self esteem is unchanged)
• Is this pregnancy emotions or depression? Difficulty initiating and/or sustaining sleep. -
✓✓ Depression (Having to urinate frequently or having heartburn are symptoms of
pregnancy).
,• Is this pregnancy or depression? Fatigue, rest does not restore. -✓✓ Depression (May
be tired during pregnancy but rest restores.)
• Is this pregnancy or depression? Anhedonia -✓✓ Depression. Anhedonia is the
inability to feel pleasure.
• Is this pregnancy or depression? Dysregulation of appetite -✓✓ Depression
• How many new mothers are universally affected by the Baby Blues? -✓✓ 60-80%
• Hormone fluctuation at the time of birth and acute sleep deprivation can lead to what
common situation or non-disorder? -✓✓ baby blues
• How long do the baby blues last? -✓✓ 2 days to 2 weeks after birth
• When do baby blues typically peak? -✓✓ on day 3-5 after delivery.
• What are the symptoms of baby blues? -✓✓ tearfulness, lability, reactivity, and
exhaustion. Unrelated to stress or prior psychiatric hx.
• When making a determination between baby blues and major depression, what should
be considered? -✓✓ severity/intensity, timing/onset, duration/chronicity
• Under the DSM-5, what code can we use for postpartum depression? -✓✓ Major
Unipolar Depression (with peripartum onset)
• For the DSM-5 code of Major Unipolar Depression (with peripartum onset), 5 or more
symptoms must be present with the same 2-week period: -✓✓ Depressed mood most of
the day nearly every day. Loss of interest, joy or pleasure (anhedonia). Significant wt or
appetite changes. Sleep disturbances. Psychomotor agitation/retardation. Fatigue/loss
of energy. Poor concentration/focus/indecisiveness. Feelings of worthlessness.
Excessive/inappropriate guilt. Recurrent thoughts of death/suicidal thoughts.
• Signs of Generalized Anxiety Disorder -✓✓ Excessive anxiety/worry. Difficulty
controlling one's worry. Agitation/Irritability. Restlessness. Poor concentration. Easily
fatigues/sleep disturbances. Increased somatic symptoms.
• What is the prevalence for prenatal anxiety? -✓✓ 15.8%
• What is the prevalence estimates for postpartum anxiety symptoms? -✓✓ 8%-20%
• Panic Disorder symptoms? -✓✓ Episodes of intense fear or discomfort reaching a
peak within minutes. SOB, chest pain, dizziness, feeling of choking. Hot/Cold flashes.
Restlessness, rapid heart beat, numbness/tingling sensations. Excessive worry/fear.
, Feeling as though "going crazy", losing control, or having a future attack. Often no
identifiable trigger.
• What are the 3 greatest fears of a panic disorder? -✓✓ Fear of dying, fear of losing
control, fear of going crazy.
• What term describes recurrent and persistent thoughts, or impulses that are intrusive
and unwanted and cause marked anxiety or distress? Individuals tend to attempt to try
to ignore or suppress the thoughts, urges, or images or to neutralize them with some
other thought or action. -✓✓ Obsessions
• What term describes repetitive behaviors that the individual feels driven to perform in
response to the obsession. Behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or
reducing anxiety or distress. -✓✓ Compulsions
• Perinatal women are at a _____ greater risk for OCD onset than the general
population. -✓✓ 1.5-2X
• ___% had OCD onset in the perinatal period. -✓✓ 32%
• Severe OCD remains largely unchanged across___ -✓✓ pregnancy and the
postpartum period.
• 65% have co-morbid depression along with what? -✓✓ Perinatal OCD
• ego-dystonic thoughts -✓✓ Thoughts or impulses and behaviors that are felt to be
distressing, unacceptable, or inconsistent with one's self concept.
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent recognizes thoughts/images are
unhealthy. -✓✓ Perinatal OCD
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent has extreme anxiety related to
thoughts/images. -✓✓ Perinatal OCD
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent is overly concerned about
"becoming crazy" or "snapping". -✓✓ Perinatal OCD.
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent does not recognize
actions/thoughts are unhealthy. -✓✓ Perinatal Psychosis
• Is this perinatal OCD or Perinatal Psychosis? Parent may seem to have less anxiety
when indulging in thoughts/behaviors. -✓✓ perinatal psychosis
