CRSS Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which screening tool is commonly used to quickly identify possible alcohol use disorder in primary care and recovery settings?
- AUDIT (Correct answer)
- PHQ-9
- GAD-7
- PCL-5
Correct answer: AUDIT
The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is a validated 10-item screener for hazardous and harmful alcohol use.
Question 2: When a peer's mood disorder symptoms and substance use symptoms overlap, a provider may wait for a period of abstinence before confirming a psychiatric diagnosis. This is called:
- A diagnostic observation period (Correct answer)
- Dual diagnosis exclusion
- Symptom masking
- Chemical imbalance testing
Correct answer: A diagnostic observation period
Clinicians often use a substance-free observation window to distinguish substance-induced symptoms from independent psychiatric disorders.
Question 3: Stimulant use disorder frequently co-occurs with which mental health condition?
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Correct answer)
- Specific phobia
- Separation anxiety disorder
- Conversion disorder
Correct answer: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is highly prevalent among individuals with stimulant use disorder, partly due to self-medication of attention and impulse control symptoms.
Question 4: In a co-occurring disorders context, 'no wrong door' refers to:
- Any service entry point can begin the process of connecting people to both mental health and substance use care (Correct answer)
- Clients must always enter through the emergency department
- Behavioral health services are not accessible without a referral
- Only certified dual-diagnosis programs can treat co-occurring disorders
Correct answer: Any service entry point can begin the process of connecting people to both mental health and substance use care
The no wrong door approach ensures that wherever someone seeks help, they can be screened and linked to appropriate co-occurring services.
Question 5: A peer support specialist is helping someone with schizophrenia and cannabis use disorder. The specialist should prioritize:
- Building trust and helping the peer engage with integrated treatment services (Correct answer)
- Immediately confronting the peer about their cannabis use
- Focusing only on the psychosis and ignoring substance use
- Reporting the peer to local authorities
Correct answer: Building trust and helping the peer engage with integrated treatment services
Trust-building and connection to integrated care are the cornerstones of effective peer support for co-occurring disorders.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'sequential treatment' for co-occurring disorders?
- Treating substance use first, then addressing mental health once sobriety is achieved (Correct answer)
- Treating both conditions simultaneously with the same team
- Providing mental health and substance use care in separate but parallel sessions
- Providing only peer support without any clinical treatment
Correct answer: Treating substance use first, then addressing mental health once sobriety is achieved
Sequential treatment addresses one condition first before treating the other, which is now considered less effective than integrated approaches.
Question 7: Research on co-occurring disorders indicates that untreated mental health conditions in people with substance use disorders typically lead to:
- Higher relapse rates and worse overall outcomes (Correct answer)
- Faster recovery and stronger motivation to abstain
- No significant effect on substance use recovery
- Reduced need for peer support services
Correct answer: Higher relapse rates and worse overall outcomes
Untreated psychiatric symptoms are a major driver of relapse, as individuals often return to substances to manage unresolved mental health distress.
CRSS Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders 3
Which screening tool is commonly used to quickly identify possible alcohol use disorder in primary care and recovery settings?