PTSD Patient Assessment & Evaluation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which structured clinical interview is considered the gold standard for diagnosing PTSD?
- PHQ-9
- CAPS-5 (Correct answer)
- GAD-7
- MDQ
Correct answer: CAPS-5
The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) is the gold standard diagnostic interview for PTSD.
Question 2: A patient reports recurrent distressing dreams about their trauma. Which DSM-5 PTSD criterion does this symptom fall under?
- Criterion C – Avoidance
- Criterion D – Negative alterations in cognition
- Criterion B – Intrusion (Correct answer)
- Criterion E – Alterations in arousal
Correct answer: Criterion B – Intrusion
Recurrent distressing dreams related to the traumatic event are classified under Criterion B (Intrusion symptoms).
Question 3: When assessing PTSD in a veteran, which tool is specifically designed and validated for military populations?
- PCL-5
- PC-PTSD-5 (Correct answer)
- IES-R
- SPRINT
Correct answer: PC-PTSD-5
The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) was developed specifically for use in primary care and VA settings with military populations.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'dissociative amnesia' in the context of PTSD assessment?
- Inability to recall important aspects of the traumatic event (Correct answer)
- Avoidance of trauma-related thoughts
- Exaggerated startle response
- Emotional numbing and detachment
Correct answer: Inability to recall important aspects of the traumatic event
Dissociative amnesia in PTSD refers to the inability to recall important aspects of the traumatic event, often due to dissociation.
Question 5: During an initial PTSD assessment, a patient becomes visibly distressed when recounting their trauma. The best clinical response is to:
- Continue the interview to gather complete information
- Terminate the session immediately
- Pause, validate the patient's distress, and offer grounding techniques (Correct answer)
- Refer the patient to the emergency department
Correct answer: Pause, validate the patient's distress, and offer grounding techniques
Pausing to validate distress and offering grounding techniques supports the patient's safety while maintaining the therapeutic alliance.
Question 6: The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5) is used in PTSD assessment primarily to:
- Measure symptom severity over time
- Identify stressor exposure and confirm Criterion A (Correct answer)
- Assess functional impairment
- Screen for comorbid depression
Correct answer: Identify stressor exposure and confirm Criterion A
The LEC-5 systematically assesses exposure to potentially traumatic events, helping establish whether Criterion A (traumatic stressor) is met.
Question 7: A patient with PTSD reports feeling emotionally numb and detached from others. This symptom cluster is categorized under which DSM-5 criterion?
- Criterion B – Intrusion
- Criterion C – Avoidance
- Criterion D – Negative alterations in cognition and mood (Correct answer)
- Criterion E – Arousal and reactivity
Correct answer: Criterion D – Negative alterations in cognition and mood
Emotional numbing, detachment, and restricted affect are negative alterations in cognition and mood, classified under Criterion D.
PTSD Patient Assessment & Evaluation 2
Which structured clinical interview is considered the gold standard for diagnosing PTSD?