Psychotherapies Practice Questions

Q: A fifty-year-old male experiences discomfort in elevators, crowded places, and while traveling. What is the most appropriate line of treatment?

Exposure and response prevention. ### Explanation **Correct Answer: C. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)** The patient presents with symptoms suggestive of **Agoraphobia** (discomfort in elevators, crowds, and traveling), where the core fear is being in places where escape might be difficult or help unavailable. **Why ERP is correct:** Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and is considered the gold standard for phobic and anxiety disorders. * **Exposure:** The patient is gradually exposed to the feared stimulus (e.g., entering an elevator). * **Response Prevention:** The patient is prevented from performing "safety behaviors" or escape rituals. Through **habituation**, the patient learns that the feared outcome does not occur, leading to the extinction of the fear response. **Analysis of Incorrect Options:** * **A. Counselling:** While supportive, general counselling lacks the structured behavioral intervention required to desensitize specific phobic triggers. * **B. Relaxation therapy:** Though helpful for generalized anxiety, it is usually an adjunct. On its own, it does not address the avoidance behavior central to agoraphobia. * **D. Covert sensitization:** This is a form of **Aversion Therapy** where an unpleasant stimulus is imagined alongside an undesirable behavior. It is primarily used in treating paraphilias or substance use disorders, not anxiety. **NEET-PG High-Yield Pearls:** * **Agoraphobia** is often associated with **Panic Disorder**. * **Drug of Choice (DOC):** For long-term management of Agoraphobia/Panic Disorder, **SSRIs** (e.g., Sertraline, Escitalopram) are the first-line pharmacological treatment. * **ERP** is also the specific behavioral treatment of choice for **Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)**. * **Systematic Desensitization** (Wolpe) is a related technique involving a hierarchy of fears combined with relaxation.

Q: Who proposed the cognitive model of depression?

Beck. **Explanation:** The correct answer is **Aaron T. Beck**, who is widely regarded as the father of Cognitive Therapy. **1. Why Beck is correct:** Beck proposed the **Cognitive Model of Depression**, which suggests that depression is maintained by distorted thinking patterns. He introduced the concept of the **Cognitive Triad**, consisting of negative views about: * **The Self** (e.g., "I am worthless") * **The World/Environment** (e.g., "Everything is unfair") * **The Future** (e.g., "Things will never get better") According to Beck, these negative schemas lead to "cognitive distortions" (like overgeneralization or catastrophic thinking), which result in the emotional and behavioral symptoms of depression. **2. Why the other options are incorrect:** * **B. Skinner:** B.F. Skinner was a behaviorist known for **Operant Conditioning**. While behavioral activation is used in depression, the cognitive model specifically belongs to Beck. * **C. Cerletti:** Ugo Cerletti (along with Lucio Bini) developed **Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)** in 1938. He contributed to biological treatment, not psychological modeling. * **D. Freud:** Sigmund Freud proposed the **Psychoanalytic theory**. In his work *"Mourning and Melancholia,"* he viewed depression as "anger turned inward" resulting from the loss of an ambivalent object. **Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):** The gold-standard psychotherapy for mild-to-moderate depression, based on Beck’s model. * **Learned Helplessness:** Another high-yield psychological model of depression proposed by **Martin Seligman**. * **Arbitrary Inference:** A common cognitive distortion where one draws a negative conclusion without supporting evidence.

Q: Expression and consequent release of previously repressed emotion is known as:

Abreaction. ### Explanation **Correct Answer: C. Abreaction** **Concept:** Abreaction is a psychoanalytic term referring to the process of bringing a repressed, traumatic memory into consciousness and re-experiencing the intense emotions associated with it. This "emotional purging" or discharge leads to a therapeutic release of tension. It is a key component of **Catharsis**. In clinical practice, this is often facilitated through techniques like free association or hypnosis (Narcoanalysis). **Analysis of Incorrect Options:** * **A. Regression:** A defense mechanism where an individual reverts to an earlier stage of development (e.g., a toilet-trained child wetting the bed when a new sibling is born) to cope with stress. * **B. Passive aggression:** An indirect expression of hostility. Instead of being openly confrontational, the individual uses procrastination, stubbornness, or intentional inefficiency to express anger. * **C. Undoing:** A defense mechanism where a person tries to "cancel out" or "undo" an unacceptable action or thought by performing a ritualistic or symbolic contrary act (e.g., a person who has thoughts of hurting someone compulsively washes their hands). **High-Yield Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Catharsis vs. Abreaction:** While often used interchangeably, *Abreaction* is the process of emotional release, whereas *Catharsis* is the therapeutic result or the feeling of "cleansing" that follows. * **Narcoanalysis:** Also known as "Truth Serum" test, it uses drugs like **Sodium Amobarbital** or **Sodium Pentothal** to induce a state where abreaction can occur. * **Indications:** Abreaction is particularly useful in treating **Conversion Disorder** (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder) and **PTSD**, where traumatic memories are often dissociated or repressed.

Q: Who developed the couch technique in psychoanalysis?

Sigmund Freud. **Explanation:** **Correct Option: A. Sigmund Freud** Sigmund Freud, the father of **Psychoanalysis**, developed the "couch technique" as a fundamental component of his therapeutic method. The primary goal was to facilitate **Free Association**, where the patient lies down and speaks whatever comes to mind without censorship. By sitting behind the patient (out of their line of sight), Freud aimed to: 1. Minimize the patient’s reaction to the therapist’s facial expressions (maintaining **neutrality**). 2. Induce a state of relaxation that mimics a dream-like state, making it easier to access the **unconscious mind**. 3. Encourage the development of **transference**, where the patient projects feelings for significant figures onto the therapist. **Incorrect Options:** * **B. Eugen Bleuler:** A Swiss psychiatrist known for coining the term "Schizophrenia" and defining its "4 As" (Affect, Association, Ambivalence, Autism). * **C. Konrad Lorenz:** An ethologist famous for his work on **Imprinting** (the rapid learning process in young animals), which is a concept in behavioral biology rather than psychoanalysis. * **D. Erik Erikson:** A developmental psychologist known for the **Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development** (e.g., Trust vs. Mistrust). **High-Yield Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Free Association:** The "Golden Rule" of psychoanalysis. * **Transference:** The unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to another (the therapist). * **Counter-transference:** The therapist’s emotional reaction to the patient. * **Interpretation of Dreams:** Freud famously called dreams the "Royal Road to the Unconscious." * **Structural Model of Personality:** Freud’s division of the psyche into the **Id** (pleasure), **Ego** (reality), and **Superego** (morality).

Question 1

A medical student consistently achieves distinction in examinations, including their first-year exam. This pattern of academic success is best described as a result of what therapeutic principle?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement

Answer

Omission

Answer

Punishment

Answer

Negative reinforcement

Question 2

A 4-year-old boy interrupts his mother every time she talks on the phone. The family pediatrician recommends that whenever the child interrupts her, the mother should pay no attention to him. What type of behavioral strategy has the pediatrician recommended?

Accepted Answer

Non-reinforcement

Answer

Intermittent reinforcement

Answer

Positive reinforcement

Answer

Negative reinforcement

Question 3

A fifty-year-old male experiences discomfort in elevators, crowded places, and while traveling. What is the most appropriate line of treatment?

Accepted Answer

Exposure and response prevention

Answer

Counselling

Answer

Relaxation therapy

Answer

Covert sensitization

Question 4

Who proposed the cognitive model of depression?

Accepted Answer

Beck

Answer

Skinner

Answer

Cerletti

Answer

Freud

Question 5

Which of the following treatments is most effective for phobic disorders?

Accepted Answer

Systematic Desensitisation

Answer

Fluoxetine

Answer

Imipramine

Answer

Motivational Therapy

Question 6

Expression and consequent release of previously repressed emotion is known as:

Accepted Answer

Abreaction

Answer

Regression

Answer

Passive aggression

Answer

Undoing

Question 7

An 18-year-old girl presents to the emergency department after cutting her wrist with a shaving razor. She has multiple superficial cuts, which have been dressed. The patient states that she did not intend to kill herself and that 'physical pain numbs my psychological pain.' This episode was triggered by a fight with her boyfriend. Her mother reports a history of multiple similar episodes of self-harm and several short-lived relationships. The mother further describes the patient as consistently moody and unpredictable. What is the psychotherapy of choice for this patient?

Accepted Answer

Dialectical behavioral therapy

Answer

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Answer

Behavioral therapy

Answer

Psychoanalysis

Question 8

Who developed the couch technique in psychoanalysis?

Accepted Answer

Sigmund Freud

Answer

Eugen Bleuler

Answer

Konrad Lorenz

Answer

Erik Erikson

Question 9

Which behavioral therapy approach is most effective for phobias?

Accepted Answer

Exposure and response prevention followed by systemic desensitization

Answer

Exposure and response prevention followed by flooding

Answer

Systemic desensitization followed by exposure and response prevention

Answer

Flooding followed by systemic desensitization

Question 10

A child who hits other children is not allowed to watch their favorite TV show. What is the line of management?

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapy

Answer

Dynamic therapy

Answer

Analytic therapy

Answer

Cognitive therapy

Psychotherapies — MCQs

Psychotherapies — MCQs

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