Occupational Therapist Test Mental Health 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An OT is working with a client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Which therapeutic approach is most evidence-based for this population?
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) (Correct answer)
- Psychoanalysis
- Motivational Interviewing
Correct answer: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT was specifically developed for BPD and has the strongest evidence base for this population.
Question 2: A client with schizophrenia has difficulty initiating daily tasks due to negative symptoms. Which OT intervention is most appropriate?
- Encouraging the client to set their own goals independently
- Using structured routines and environmental cues to support task initiation (Correct answer)
- Providing high-stimulation activities to increase engagement
- Focusing solely on social skills training
Correct answer: Using structured routines and environmental cues to support task initiation
Structured routines and environmental cues compensate for the initiation deficits associated with negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Question 3: Which model of practice specifically addresses the interaction between a person's values, roles, habits, and performance capacity in mental health OT?
- Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) (Correct answer)
- Biomechanical Model
- Sensory Integration Model
- Neurodevelopmental Treatment Model
Correct answer: Model of Human Occupation (MOHO)
MOHO addresses volition, habituation, and performance capacity, making it particularly applicable to mental health practice.
Question 4: A client with PTSD avoids busy public spaces. Using a graded exposure approach, what would be the OT's first step?
- Taking the client to a crowded shopping mall
- Having the client imagine being in a slightly busy environment (Correct answer)
- Discussing the traumatic event in detail
- Avoiding all public space activities
Correct answer: Having the client imagine being in a slightly busy environment
Graded exposure begins with the least anxiety-provoking scenario, starting with imaginal exposure before in vivo exposure.
Question 5: Which occupational performance area is most directly impacted by the cognitive deficits associated with major depressive disorder?
- Leisure exploration
- Work and productive activities requiring sustained attention (Correct answer)
- Social participation in large groups
- Spiritual practices
Correct answer: Work and productive activities requiring sustained attention
Depression causes cognitive deficits including poor concentration and slowed processing that most directly impair work and productive activities requiring sustained attention.
Question 6: An OT is conducting a sensory profile with a client with anxiety. The client reports being overwhelmed by fluorescent lighting and loud environments. This pattern reflects:
- Sensory seeking behavior
- Sensory over-responsivity (Correct answer)
- Sensory discrimination disorder
- Sensory under-responsivity
Correct answer: Sensory over-responsivity
Sensory over-responsivity involves responding too strongly to sensory input that others find tolerable, common in anxiety disorders.
Question 7: A mental health OT uses the Occupational Self Assessment (OSA) with a client. The primary purpose of this tool is to:
- Measure cognitive function
- Identify the client's perception of their own occupational competence and values (Correct answer)
- Assess ADL independence
- Screen for psychiatric diagnoses
Correct answer: Identify the client's perception of their own occupational competence and values
The OSA is a client-centered assessment based on MOHO that captures the client's self-perception of occupational competence and values.
An OT is working with a client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
Which therapeutic approach is most evidence-based for this population?