CAT Addiction Technician Screening and Diagnosis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes the purpose of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI)?
- To determine legal eligibility for methadone treatment
- To provide a multidimensional assessment of problem severity across life domains (Correct answer)
- To screen exclusively for opioid dependence
- To measure readiness to change using a single score
Correct answer: To provide a multidimensional assessment of problem severity across life domains
The ASI evaluates seven life domains — medical, employment, alcohol, drugs, legal, family/social, and psychiatric — to assess problem severity comprehensively.
Question 2: A 17-year-old presents for substance use evaluation. Which screening tool was specifically developed and validated for adolescent populations?
- AUDIT
- CAGE
- CRAFFT (Correct answer)
- MAST
Correct answer: CRAFFT
The CRAFFT is a validated screening tool designed specifically for adolescents, addressing Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble.
Question 3: When conducting a comprehensive substance use assessment, collecting a client's 'substance use history' should include:
- Only the primary drug of choice and current usage amounts
- All substances ever used, age of first use, patterns, and consequences (Correct answer)
- Criminal history related to drug offenses only
- Employer-required drug test results
Correct answer: All substances ever used, age of first use, patterns, and consequences
A thorough substance use history captures all substances, onset ages, use patterns, consequences, and prior treatment to guide diagnosis and planning.
Question 4: The DAST-10 (Drug Abuse Screening Test) is designed primarily to screen for:
- Alcohol use disorder severity
- Problems related to drug use other than alcohol (Correct answer)
- Co-occurring mental health disorders
- Nicotine dependence
Correct answer: Problems related to drug use other than alcohol
The DAST-10 focuses specifically on drug use (excluding alcohol) and yields a score indicating whether further assessment is needed.
Question 5: A client denies substance use despite collateral reports and a positive urine screen. This behavior is best described as:
- Ambivalence
- Denial (Correct answer)
- Tolerance
- Craving
Correct answer: Denial
Denial is the defense mechanism by which a client refuses to acknowledge substance use or its consequences despite objective evidence.
Question 6: Which of the following statements about the CAGE questionnaire is TRUE?
- It requires a licensed psychologist to administer
- A score of 2 or more is considered a positive screen for alcohol problems (Correct answer)
- It screens for both alcohol and drug use simultaneously
- It must be completed via computer-assisted interview
Correct answer: A score of 2 or more is considered a positive screen for alcohol problems
A CAGE score of 2 or more is the widely accepted threshold for a positive screen, warranting further diagnostic evaluation for alcohol use disorder.
Question 7: In the context of addiction screening, 'sensitivity' refers to a test's ability to:
- Correctly identify individuals who do NOT have the disorder
- Detect true positives — people who actually have the disorder (Correct answer)
- Produce consistent results across multiple administrations
- Be completed quickly in under five minutes
Correct answer: Detect true positives — people who actually have the disorder
Sensitivity measures the proportion of individuals with the disorder who are correctly identified as positive by the screening instrument.
CAT Addiction Technician Screening and Diagnosis 3
Which of the following best describes the purpose of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI)?