MCQs on Psychiatric Assessment and Family History

If you are pursuing Psychiatry Residency, you must be aware how integral psychiatric assessment and understanding family history are for you.

These are the foundational aspects that help diagnose, plan treatment, and predict outcomes in psychiatric conditions.

As we understand the importance of these high-yield topics, we have curated crucial MCQs covering essential topics such as assessment techniques, socio-economic factors, developmental history, and premorbid personality.

Whether you are preparing to ace the exam or just brushing up on your knowledge, these questions are crafted to enhance your understanding and readiness.

Psychiatric Assessment: MCQs

Q. What are the three main goals of psychiatric assessment? 

1. Diagnose, treat, and prevent 
2. Diagnose, understand the context, and establish a therapeutic relationship 
3. Assess, diagnose, and prescribe 
4. Understand the context, treat, and establish a therapeutic relationship

Q. What is the term for the harmonious responsiveness of the physician and patient to one another? 

1. Synergy 
2. Rapport 
3. Harmony 
4. Synchrony

Q. How can distractions be minimized during the psychiatric interview? 

1. Increase the number of people around 
2. Encourage the use of mobile phones 
3. Minimize potential distractions 
4. Keep the environment chaotic

Q. What does the term "chief complaints" refer to in psychiatric assessment? 

1. The primary medical concerns 
2. The most important complaints for case formulation 
3. The complaints voiced by family members 
4. The secondary concerns 

Q. In the context of psychiatric assessment, what does HOPI stand for? 

1. History of Psychiatric Intervention 
2. History of Present Illness 
3. High Occurrence of Psychiatric Incidents 
4. High Occurrence of Present Illnesses 

Also read: Cognitive Theory by Aaron Beck: Distortions & Depression

Q. Which factor helps in understanding the patient's vulnerability to causal factors close to the time of illness? 

1. Precipitating factors 
2. Perpetuating factors 
3. Predisposing factors 
4. Provoking factors

Q. What does the term "episodic course" mean in the psychiatric interview process? 

1. Symptoms never disappear throughout the course of illness 
2. Symptoms disappear completely to reappear again 
3. Symptoms are continuous with fluctuations 
4. Symptoms remain stable after onset 

Q. Which term refers to events that occur shortly before the onset of a psychiatric disorder and appear to have induced it? 

1. Perpetuating factors 
2. Precipitating factors 
3. Predisposing factors 
4. Progressing factors

Q. What is the importance of taking a "negative history" during the psychiatric assessment? 

1. It focuses on positive aspects of the patient's life
2. It rules out other symptoms, comorbid diagnoses, and helps arrange symptoms in hierarchy 
3. It identifies perpetuating factors 
4. It explores the patient's coping mechanisms

Q. Why is a life chart useful in psychiatric assessment? 

1. To illustrate family history 
2. To depict the patient's typical day 
3. To represent a pictorial timeline of the patient's details 
4. To highlight positive symptoms

Also read: Animal Models in Psychiatry: Types, Validity & Research Uses

Psychiatric Assessment: Additional MCQs

Q. What is the primary purpose of identifying data in psychiatric assessment? 

1. To assess family history 
2. To establish rapport 
3. To identify potential distractions 
4. To aid in patient identification and rapport-building

Q. What are the three factors that have prognostic value in psychiatric assessment? 

1. Precipitating, perpetuating, provoking 
2. Predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating 
3. Perpetuating, progressing, provoking 
4. Predisposing, progressive, perpetuating

Q. How should chief complaints be prioritized in psychiatric assessment?

1. According to the informant's preferences 
2. Alphabetically 
3. Chronologically 
4. Randomly

Q. What does the "history of present illness" focus on in psychiatric assessment? 

1. Past psychiatric episodes 
2. Symptoms from earliest time to present 
3. Future treatment plans 
4. Family history

Q. Why is it important to inquire about legal, financial, and family issues during the psychiatric assessment? 

1. To establish a therapeutic relationship 
2. To fulfill legal requirements 
3. To distract the patient from distressing thoughts 
4. To minimize perpetuating factors

Also read: Understanding Catatonia: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment Options

Family Structure and History: MCQs

Q. How are psychiatric disorders represented in a family tree? 

1. Square symbol 
2. Circle symbol 
3. Shaded symbol 
4. Diamond symbol

Q. What does a dotted line with two arrows in a family tree represent? 

1. Separation 
2. Adoption 
3. Emotional attachment 
4. Sibling relationship

Q. How is death represented in a family tree? 

1. Cross symbol 
2. Shaded symbol 
3. Diamond symbol 
4. Dotted line

Q. What information is included in family history regarding dead members? 

1. Age at death, cause, and patient's reaction 
2. Marital status and occupation 
3. Names and ages 
4. Medical conditions 

Q. In terms of sex separation, when is overcrowding considered? 

1. Three persons of opposite sex 
2. Two persons more than 9 years old of opposite sex 
3. Two persons of any sex 
4. Four persons of opposite sex

Also read: Examination Of Uncooperative Patient  

Current Social Situation and Socioeconomic Status: MCQs 

Q. How is socioeconomic class determined in the Modified Kuppuswamy scale? 

1. Occupation only 
2. Education only 
3. Total per capita family income only 
4. Combination of education, occupation, and total per capita family income 

Q. What does the Modified Kuppuswamy scale score for an unemployed person in terms of occupation? 

1. 1 
2. 2 
3. 3 
4. 4

Q. How is overcrowding measured using floor space? 

1. More than 110 square feet per person 
2. 90-100 square feet per person 
3. Less than 50 square feet per person 
4. 50-70 square feet per person 

Q. What parameter of the Modified Kuppuswamy scale is recalculated using the All India Average Consumer Price Index for industrial workers?

1. Education of the head of the family 
2. Occupation of the head of the family 
3. Total per capita family income 
4. Socioeconomic class

Also read: Vascular Dementia: Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment

Personal History/Developmental History and Premorbid Personality: MCQs 

Q. Which stage of personal history includes puberty through adolescence? 

1. Early childhood 
2. Middle childhood 
3. Later childhood 
4. Prenatal history

Q. What is a premorbid personality? 

1. Personality during mental illness 
2. Personality after brain damage 
3. Personality before the onset of mental illness 
4. Personality during adolescence

Q. In the context of premorbid personality, what does "SIM CHF" stand for? 

1. Social, Intellectual, Mood, Character, Habits, Family 
2. Sensitive, Introverted, Motivated, Cooperative, Honest, Friendly 
3. Spiritual, Imaginative, Motivated, Courageous, Honest, Flexible 
4. Social, Intellectual, Moral, Character, Habits, Fantasy

Family Structure and History: MCQs

Q. What does a circle symbol represent in a family tree? 

1. Male 
2. Female 
3. Unknown sex 
4. Death 

Q. How is a present patient represented in a family tree? 

1. Dotted line with arrows 
2. Shaded square with an arrow 
3. Diamond symbol 
4. Separation symbol

Q. What does a square symbol in a family tree indicate?

1. Death 
2. Present patient 
3. Male 
4. Adoption

Also read: Understanding Frontotemporal Dementia: Symptoms, Genetics, and Prognosis

Current Social Situation and Socioeconomic Status: MCQs

Q. How is overcrowding described in terms of persons per room? 

1. 2 persons for 1 room
2. 3 persons for 3 rooms 
3. 5 persons for 5 rooms 
4. 7 persons for 4 rooms

Q. What does the Modified Kuppuswamy scale score for a professional degree or honors in terms of education? 

1. 5 
2. 6 
3. 7 
4. 12

Q. In the context of current social situations, why is identifying the primary caregiver important?

1. To assess family income 
2. To discuss treatments and follow-ups 
3. To determine family overcrowding 
4. To understand religious values

Also read: Residency Psychiatry-Recent Updates- Brexpiprazole And Trofinetide 

Hope you found this blog helpful for your Psychiatry Residency Basic Sciences Preparation. For more informative and interesting posts like these, keep reading PrepLadder’s blogs.