Psychiatric Symptoms Quiz

Answer: That you are dead

This symptom of psychotic illness was described by a neurologist called Cotard in the nineteenth century. It is quite rare and can be very distressing to the sufferer, who may ask to be buried.

Answer: That people are not who they seem to be

Capgras is an example of delusional misidentification, where you believe that people around you have been replaced by replicas or imposters. Capgras, who first described it, was a French psychiatrist in the early 20th century.

Answer: Inability to feel enjoyment

The feeling that you cannot gain any enjoyment from life, or from activities you used to enjoy, is often a central feature of depression. If it becomes severe it can be very dangerous and lead to self-harm or suicide, and so help should always be sought if this symptom is noted.

Answer: both of these

Auditory hallucinations can occur in a variety of mental disorders, including schizophrenia, mood illnesses (such as severe depression), and alcohol or drug-induced conditions.

Answer: That your penis is shrinking

Koro is what is known as a culture-bound symptom, and is very rare in the West but well described in Eastern cultures, especially in Southeast Asia. The sufferer will believe that their genitals are shrinking, retracting into the body, and may also believe that when this process is complete they will die.

Answer: Compulsively pulling out your hair

Compulsive hair-pulling can occur on its own, as a discrete impulse disorder, or can occur as a symptom of another disorder such as generalised anxiety or post traumatic stress disorder.

Answer: They would be still and unresponsive

Catatonia is a state of extreme unresponsiveness and lack of movement, which can occur in a number of mental disorders including, particularly, schizophrenia and depression. It can be very dangerous as the person will not eat or drink, and may remain in the state for a prolonged period of time. Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is sometimes used to save lives in catatonia.

Answer: They are covered in insects or parasites

Ekbom's must be very unpleasant indeed, as you believe that your body is covered with bugs or insects, or that they are inside you. Formication is the feeling that ants or other insects are crawling on your skin.

Answer: cats

Ailouros is Greek for cat.

Answer: dirt or germs

Musos is Greek for dirty.

Answer: morbid jealousy

Morbid jealousy is the delusion that your spouse or partner is being unfaithful, and in severe cases can lead to the sufferer killing their partner and/or the person they think they are having an affair with. It is a symptom that should never be ignored, and needs urgent assessment and treatment.

Answer: False

It is a fallacy that people on the autistic spectrum do not feel emotions such as love. The difficulties they have may include problems with adequately or appropriately expressing emotions, but they feel love, sorrow, worry, happiness and so on just as other people do. Some people even hypothesise that they feel things more deeply and this is at the root of some of their problems.

Answer: Hare checklist

Robert Hare devised a list of symptoms used to define a diagnosis of psychopathy, which includes features such as superficial charm, pathological lying and a lack of empathy. The Wechsler scale is an intelligence test, as is the Ravens, and the Rorschach test is a test which interprets the patients's description of an inkblot, from an psychoanalytical perspective.

Answer: International Classification of Diseases

ICD-10 is the tenth iteration of this classification system, devised by the World Health Organisation, which covers all aspects of physical and mental disorders and injuries.

Answer: Parkinson's disease

This is the classical tremor of Parkinson's, which can also cause mental symptoms including depression and dementia.