MAC Screening and Assessment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The DAST-10 (Drug Abuse Screening Test) is primarily designed to:
- Diagnose specific substance use disorders by drug type
- Identify the level of care needed for detoxification
- Detect probable drug abuse or dependence requiring further assessment (Correct answer)
- Measure treatment readiness and motivation
Correct answer: Detect probable drug abuse or dependence requiring further assessment
The DAST-10 is a brief screening tool that yields a score indicating the degree to which drug use is problematic and warrants further assessment.
Question 2: When conducting a mental status examination, which component assesses whether the client knows the current date, location, and their own identity?
- Affect
- Orientation (Correct answer)
- Insight
- Judgment
Correct answer: Orientation
Orientation (to person, place, and time) evaluates whether the client accurately perceives their basic circumstances and identity.
Question 3: A client scores a 16 on the PHQ-9. This score indicates:
- Minimal depression
- Moderate depression
- Moderately severe depression
- Severe depression (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Severe depression
PHQ-9 scores of 15–19 indicate moderately severe depression and scores 20–27 indicate severe depression; a score of 16 falls in the moderately severe range.
Question 4: Which assessment tool uses a timeline follow-back (TLFB) methodology to gather detailed retrospective substance use data?
- CAGE
- AUDIT
- Form 90 (Correct answer)
- SASSI-4
Correct answer: Form 90
Form 90 uses a calendar-assisted timeline follow-back approach to quantify drinking and drug use over the prior 90 days.
Question 5: In the context of addiction assessment, 'collateral information' refers to:
- Financial data gathered during intake
- Data from family members, records, or other sources beyond the client's self-report (Correct answer)
- Information shared by the client under legal compulsion
- Secondary diagnoses unrelated to the primary presenting problem
Correct answer: Data from family members, records, or other sources beyond the client's self-report
Collateral information is obtained from sources other than the client (e.g., family, employers, medical records) to verify and supplement self-report.
Question 6: The primary purpose of the SOCRATES (Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale) is to:
- Screen for co-occurring psychiatric disorders
- Measure the severity of alcohol withdrawal
- Assess readiness and motivation to change substance use (Correct answer)
- Diagnose alcohol use disorder per DSM-5 criteria
Correct answer: Assess readiness and motivation to change substance use
SOCRATES measures three motivational dimensions — Recognition, Ambivalence, and Taking Steps — to gauge a client's readiness for change.
Question 7: A counselor notices a client's affect is inconsistent with the content of what they are discussing (e.g., laughing while describing a tragic event). This is best described as:
- Blunted affect
- Flat affect
- Incongruent affect (Correct answer)
- Labile affect
Correct answer: Incongruent affect
Incongruent affect occurs when the emotional expression does not match the verbal content or context of what is being discussed.
MAC Screening and Assessment 2
The DAST-10 (Drug Abuse Screening Test) is primarily designed to: