Eating Disorders

~ Exam ~

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This test has 25 questions.

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1. Which of the following is criterion for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, according to the American Psychiatric Association?
  a. The person recognizes she is extremely thin and needs professional help.
  b. The person has no interest in food.
  c. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.
  d. Weight loss of at least 5% of original body weight.

2. Which of the following is criterion for the diagnosis of bulimia, according to the American Psychiatric Association?
  a. The person is able to control her binges and stop eating when she wants to.
  b. The person regularly engages in either self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or diuretics, strict dieting or fasting, or vigorous exercise in order to prevent weight gain.
  c. Occasionally eating large amounts of food without concern.

  d. Both a and c.

3. Which of the following describes characteristic behavior(s) of a bulimic?
  a. Their binge-purge behavior is almost always carried on in private.

  b. They binge in the presence of others, such as at parties or holiday dinners.

  c. They may vomit up to 20 times daily or take up to 50 doses of laxatives per day.

  d. The person is able to control this behavior.

  e. Both a and c.

4. Which of the following describes characteristic behavior(s) of an anorexic?
  a. The person is ashamed of her emaciated body.

  b. The person has a poor appetite.
  c. She is not likely to exercise.

  d. She is completely preoccupied with food and eating.
5. In regards to the correlation between fat and health risks, which of the following is/are true?
  a. Researchers have found that the medical risks of obesity have been greatly exaggerated and misunderstood.

  b. Obesity causes high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

  c. Genetics play an important role in the development of disease.

  d. Both a and c.

6. The following is a greater health risk than simple obesity:
  a. using diet products.

  b. the weight cycling caused by repeated dieting.
  c. over-exercising.

7. An appropriate treatment for obese individuals would be:
  a. to focus on overall good health and self-acceptance.

  b. to prescribe a weight loss diet.

  c. to encourage a rigorous exercise program to induce weight loss.
8. Many recent studies have shown that restrictive diets:
  a. are an effective and permanent weight loss solution.

  b. are not an effective and permanent weight loss solution.

  c. should be prescribed to all obese individuals.

9. Set point can be defined as:
  a. the body’s attempt to defend a physiologically programmed weight level.

  b. the number of calories a person must ingest in order to lose weight.

  c. an individual’s appropriate weight according to insurance company charts.

10. The net effect of dieting is actually paradoxical to the intent, as evidenced by which of the following statements?
  a. Metabolism speeds up with weight loss so that calories are used more efficiently.

  b. The longer one diets the more the metabolism slows down.

  c. The dieter must restrict intake more and more as she continues dieting.

  d. Both b and c.

11. Which of the following is/are true of the binge-purge cycle?
  a. The patient is able to achieve her desired result of weight loss.

  b. The patient gains weight due to the cycling which makes it harder and harder to lose weight.

  c. The bulimic will only lose weight if she also exercises excessively.

12. The Minnesota study showed that when subjects were starved they:
  a. become completely preoccupied with food.

  b. would become silent and socially isolated while devoting their attention to a meal.
  c. experienced severe changes emotionally, physically, cognitively, socially and sexually.

  d. all of the above.

13. Which of the following is a true statement regarding the use of laxatives and diuretics?
  a. These agents have been found to be effective in controlling absorption of calories.

  b. These agents are helpful in achieving weight loss because they encourage fluid loss.

  c. The use of these agents to aid in weight loss is a myth.
14. Which of the following is considered a psychological precipitant to an eating disorder?
  a. Body image distortion.

  b. Low self-esteem.

  c. Depression.

  d. All of the above.

15. Anorexics tend to be from families who:
  a. are extremely controlling.
  b. do not allow for the individual identities of each family member.

  c. express true feelings well in therapy.

  d. both a and b.

16. Individuals with an eating disorder were, as children, generally viewed as:
  a. trouble-makers.

  b. not trying very hard to achieve.

  c. model children.
  d. very assertive.

17. The crisis period for bulimics appears to be:
  a. the transition from childhood to adolescence.
  b. at the onset of their menses.

  c. the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

18. The bulimic’s attitude towards the traditional feminine role is:
  a. one of abhorrence.

  b. something they are very committed to.

  c. highly influenced by a mother who represents the traditional female role.

  d. both b and c.

19. Which of the following is not a typical characteristic of a bulimic?
  a. Dependent.

  b. High self-esteem.

  c. Perfectionism.

  d. Feelings of inadequacy and helplessness.

20. Precursors to bingeing are:
  a. rejection.

  b. confrontation.
  c. anxiety.

  d. all of the above.

21. Which of the following is a false statement regarding the demographic background of an eating disorder patient?
  a. Females from upper income families are typically affected.

  b. Only recently have there been reports of eating disorders in children from other than white western backgrounds.

  c. Cases have been reported in underdeveloped countries.

22. In regards to biological precipitants of eating disorders, which of the following is false?
  a. Hypothalamic dysfunction is a proven cause of anorexia.

  b. There is confusion as to whether certain medical complications of eating disorders are not in fact, precipitants of the illness.

  c. It has been difficult to establish clear-cut data regarding the biological causes of an eating disorder.
23. Which of the following explains the difficulty in establishing clear-cut data regarding the physiological causes of an eating disorder?
  a. These patients are secretive and hide their symptoms out of shame.
  b. Eating disorder patients have so many physical complications that it is difficult to isolate out the cause of each symptom.
  c. Patients present for treatment after their illness has been in full swing for some time, and the physician often has no base-line data prior to the illness.

24. Which of the following electrocardiographic abnormalities is of most concern to the anorexic patient?
  a. Arrhythmias, including supra-ventricular premature beats and ventricular tachycardia.

  b. Bradycardia.

  c. T wave inversions.

  d. T segment depression.

25. Which of the following is not a medical complication of anorexia?
  a. Severe weight loss.

  b. Unusual sensitivity to cold.

  c. Anemia.

  d. High basal metabolism.

  e. Neuro-endocrine dysfunction.