MC Assessment and Diagnosis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) includes validity scales primarily to:
- Measure intelligence quotient
- Detect response bias and inconsistency (Correct answer)
- Screen for substance use
- Assess attachment style
Correct answer: Detect response bias and inconsistency
MMPI-2 validity scales (e.g., L, F, K) identify patterns such as over-reporting, under-reporting, or random responding.
Question 2: A differential diagnosis between Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) is primarily based on:
- Number of symptoms and duration (Correct answer)
- Family history and genetics
- Response to medication
- Client's self-reported mood
Correct answer: Number of symptoms and duration
MDD requires a two-week episode with five or more symptoms, while PDD requires depressed mood for at least two years with fewer qualifying symptoms.
Question 3: A structured diagnostic interview differs from an unstructured clinical interview in that it:
- Allows the counselor to follow the client's lead freely
- Uses a fixed set of standardized questions (Correct answer)
- Focuses exclusively on childhood history
- Relies solely on behavioral observation
Correct answer: Uses a fixed set of standardized questions
Structured interviews use predetermined, standardized questions administered in a consistent sequence to improve diagnostic reliability.
Question 4: Which assessment approach involves asking a client to interpret ambiguous images and is classified as projective?
- Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) (Correct answer)
- Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
- Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale
- Conners' Rating Scales
Correct answer: Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
The TAT asks clients to create stories about ambiguous pictures, projecting their own feelings and conflicts onto the narrative.
Question 5: When assessing suicide risk, the acronym IS PATH WARM helps counselors remember warning signs. The 'A' in PATH stands for:
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Alcohol or substance use (Correct answer)
- Avoidance
Correct answer: Alcohol or substance use
In IS PATH WARM, the 'A' stands for Alcohol and other substance use, which significantly elevates suicide risk.
Question 6: A counselor documents that a client's affect is 'blunted.' This means the client's emotional expression is:
- Rapidly shifting between extremes
- Dramatically intensified
- Reduced in range and intensity (Correct answer)
- Incongruent with stated mood
Correct answer: Reduced in range and intensity
Blunted affect describes a significant reduction in emotional expressiveness, often seen in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
MC Assessment and Diagnosis 2
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) includes validity scales primarily to: