CAC Co-occurring Disorders 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What percentage of individuals with a substance use disorder also have a co-occurring mental health disorder?
- Approximately 50% (Correct answer)
- Approximately 10%
- Approximately 25%
- Approximately 75%
Correct answer: Approximately 50%
Research consistently shows that roughly half of people with a substance use disorder have at least one co-occurring mental health condition.
Question 2: The term 'dual diagnosis' refers to:
- Having both a substance use disorder and a psychiatric disorder simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Being diagnosed with two different substance use disorders
- Having diagnoses from two different providers
- A diagnosis that changes after treatment completion
Correct answer: Having both a substance use disorder and a psychiatric disorder simultaneously
Dual diagnosis (or co-occurring disorders) describes the simultaneous presence of a substance use disorder and one or more mental health conditions.
Question 3: Which mental health disorder is MOST commonly co-occurring with substance use disorders?
- Depression and anxiety disorders (Correct answer)
- Schizophrenia
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Dissociative Identity Disorder
Correct answer: Depression and anxiety disorders
Mood disorders (especially depression) and anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health conditions among people with substance use disorders.
Question 4: When assessing a client for co-occurring disorders, a counselor should wait how long after last substance use before evaluating psychiatric symptoms?
- Long enough for acute intoxication and withdrawal effects to clear (typically 2–4 weeks) (Correct answer)
- 24 hours
- Immediately at intake regardless of use
- Until the client has been sober for one year
Correct answer: Long enough for acute intoxication and withdrawal effects to clear (typically 2–4 weeks)
Waiting 2–4 weeks allows the counselor to distinguish substance-induced symptoms from underlying psychiatric disorders.
Question 5: Which model of co-occurring disorders proposes that one disorder directly causes the other?
- Secondary disorder model (Correct answer)
- Integrated model
- Common factor model
- Bidirectional model
Correct answer: Secondary disorder model
The secondary disorder model proposes that one disorder (e.g., substance use) causes the other (e.g., depression), though in reality the relationship is usually more complex.
Question 6: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders frequently co-occur because:
- Substances are often used to cope with trauma symptoms (Correct answer)
- Trauma automatically causes addiction
- Both are caused by the same genetic mutation
- Substance use causes PTSD in most cases
Correct answer: Substances are often used to cope with trauma symptoms
People with PTSD often turn to alcohol or drugs as a way to numb hyperarousal, intrusive memories, and emotional pain, leading to dependence.
CAC Co-occurring Disorders 1
What percentage of individuals with a substance use disorder also have a co-occurring mental health disorder?