BHP Patient Assessment & Evaluation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient being assessed for PTSD reports re-experiencing a traumatic event as if it is happening in the present moment. This symptom is called a:
- Dissociative fugue
- Flashback (Correct answer)
- Derealization episode
- Hypnagogic hallucination
Correct answer: Flashback
Flashbacks are a hallmark re-experiencing symptom of PTSD in which the individual relives the traumatic event with a sense of immediacy.
Question 2: The PHQ-9 is a validated screening tool used to assess the severity of:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Alcohol use disorder
- Major depressive disorder (Correct answer)
- Bipolar disorder
Correct answer: Major depressive disorder
The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) measures the nine DSM criteria for major depressive disorder and scores symptom severity.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes 'pressured speech' as observed during a mental status examination?
- Speech that is slow and monotone
- Rapid, difficult-to-interrupt speech driven by internal urgency (Correct answer)
- Speech with frequent topic changes unrelated to the original question
- Whispering or extremely low-volume speech
Correct answer: Rapid, difficult-to-interrupt speech driven by internal urgency
Pressured speech is fast, loud, and virtually impossible to interrupt, often seen in manic or hypomanic episodes.
Question 4: A BHP administering the GAD-7 screens for which condition?
- Generalized anxiety disorder (Correct answer)
- Grief and bereavement
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
- Acute stress disorder
Correct answer: Generalized anxiety disorder
The GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale) is specifically validated to screen for and assess the severity of generalized anxiety disorder.
Question 5: During a psychosocial assessment, a patient denies current substance use but urine drug screening returns positive for opioids. The most appropriate next step is to:
- Document the discrepancy and explore it non-judgmentally with the patient (Correct answer)
- Discharge the patient for dishonesty
- Report the patient to law enforcement
- Accept the patient's denial as accurate and discard the screening result
Correct answer: Document the discrepancy and explore it non-judgmentally with the patient
Discrepancies between self-report and objective screening results should be explored openly and without judgment to maintain therapeutic alliance and gather accurate data.
Question 6: When assessing a child for possible ADHD, which collateral source of information is considered most clinically essential?
- Peer interviews
- Teacher behavior rating scales (Correct answer)
- Playground observation only
- Parent self-report of their own ADHD history
Correct answer: Teacher behavior rating scales
Teacher behavior rating scales (e.g., Conners, Vanderbilt) provide structured observations from a non-parental setting, which is essential for cross-setting symptom confirmation required by DSM criteria.
Question 7: A patient describes feeling detached from their own body, as if watching themselves from outside. This experience is known as:
- Derealization
- Depersonalization (Correct answer)
- Dissociative identity disorder
- Somatic delusion
Correct answer: Depersonalization
Depersonalization is the subjective experience of feeling detached or estranged from one's own mental processes or body.
BHP Patient Assessment & Evaluation 3
A patient being assessed for PTSD reports re-experiencing a traumatic event as if it is happening in the present moment.
This symptom is called a: