Mental and Behavioral Health Flashcards
7 cards from real CPC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Mental and Behavioral Health flashcards as text
A community paramedic is assessing a patient for alcohol use disorder. Which AUDIT-C score in a male patient indicates high-risk drinking?
Answer: Score of 4 or higher
An AUDIT-C score of 4 or higher in males (3 or higher in females) is the validated cutoff indicating high-risk or hazardous alcohol use.
Which of the following is a core principle of trauma-informed care that community paramedics should integrate into all patient interactions?
Answer: Trustworthiness and transparency — explain all actions before performing them
Trustworthiness and transparency are foundational SAMHSA trauma-informed care principles that rebuild safety and trust for patients who have experienced trauma.
A patient with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) reports that their prescribed buspirone is 'not working.' The community paramedic should most appropriately explain that:
Answer: Buspirone typically requires 2–4 weeks of consistent use before therapeutic effects are observed
Unlike benzodiazepines, buspirone has a delayed onset of 2–4 weeks and requires consistent daily dosing; patients often discontinue it prematurely due to this misunderstanding.
A community paramedic is caring for a patient in a post-discharge follow-up after a psychiatric hospitalization. Which intervention most effectively reduces 30-day readmission risk?
Answer: Conducting a medication reconciliation, confirming outpatient appointment attendance, and identifying social barriers
Medication reconciliation, care coordination, and addressing social determinants (transportation, housing, finances) are the highest-yield bundle for reducing psychiatric readmissions.
When assessing a patient for opioid use disorder (OUD) in the community, which clinical tool helps the paramedic evaluate the severity of withdrawal symptoms?
Answer: COWS (Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale)
The Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) quantifies opioid withdrawal severity across 11 objective and subjective signs to guide clinical decision-making.
A patient with a history of suicide attempts lives alone and has limited social support. Which environmental safety intervention is most evidence-based for suicide prevention during a community paramedic visit?
Answer: Conducting lethal means counseling with a focus on securing or removing firearms and medications
Lethal means counseling — particularly addressing firearm access and medication stockpiling — is the strongest evidence-based environmental intervention for suicide prevention.
A community paramedic initiates a Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) with a patient who has chronic suicidal ideation. Which component is unique to SPI compared to a general crisis hotline referral?
Answer: Identifying personal warning signs, coping strategies, and specific people to contact before a crisis escalates
SPI is a collaborative, personalized written plan that identifies the individual's warning signs, internal coping strategies, and social supports — elements not captured by a generic hotline referral.