BHP Patient Assessment & Evaluation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a mental status examination, a patient responds to questions about the current president by naming someone who held office 20 years ago. This finding is best documented as:
- Confabulation
- Orientation impairment (Correct answer)
- Tangential thinking
- Perseveration
Correct answer: Orientation impairment
Inability to correctly identify current public figures indicates impaired orientation to person or current events.
Question 2: A BHP uses the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Which domain does this tool specifically measure?
- Depression severity
- Suicidal ideation and behavior (Correct answer)
- Psychosis risk
- Substance use frequency
Correct answer: Suicidal ideation and behavior
The C-SSRS is a standardized instrument designed to assess the intensity and lethality of suicidal ideation and past suicidal behaviors.
Question 3: A patient reports hearing voices that comment on their actions throughout the day. This symptom is classified as:
- Illusion
- Pseudo-hallucination
- Auditory hallucination (Correct answer)
- Thought broadcasting
Correct answer: Auditory hallucination
Running commentary voices heard without an external stimulus are a classic form of auditory hallucination.
Question 4: Which assessment tool uses a series of questions about alcohol use with the acronym CAGE?
- Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener (Correct answer)
- Craving, Abuse, Guilt, Excess
- Control, Avoidance, Guilt, Environment
- Compulsion, Anxiety, Grief, Escape
Correct answer: Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener
CAGE stands for Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-opener, each representing a screening question for alcohol dependence.
Question 5: When conducting a biopsychosocial assessment, which of the following belongs in the 'social' domain?
- Genetic predisposition to schizophrenia
- History of head trauma
- Employment status and housing stability (Correct answer)
- Current medication side effects
Correct answer: Employment status and housing stability
Employment status and housing stability are social determinants of health captured in the social domain of a biopsychosocial assessment.
Question 6: A clinician notes that a patient's mood is 'dysthymic.' This means the patient is experiencing:
- Elevated and expansive mood
- Mildly depressed or low mood (Correct answer)
- Rapidly shifting emotional states
- Flat and constricted affect
Correct answer: Mildly depressed or low mood
Dysthymic mood refers to a chronically low or mildly depressed emotional state, distinct from a full major depressive episode.
Question 7: During intake, a patient discloses that they have a plan to harm their neighbor and intends to act within the week. The BHP's primary obligation is to:
- Document the statement and continue the assessment
- Notify the intended victim and appropriate authorities per duty-to-warn laws (Correct answer)
- Refer the patient to a psychiatrist before taking any action
- Maintain confidentiality since no self-harm was disclosed
Correct answer: Notify the intended victim and appropriate authorities per duty-to-warn laws
Tarasoff-based duty-to-warn statutes require clinicians to warn identifiable third parties and notify law enforcement when a credible, specific threat exists.
BHP Patient Assessment & Evaluation 2
During a mental status examination, a patient responds to questions about the current president by naming someone who held office 20 years ago.
This finding is best documented as: