CRM Mental Health & Co-Occurring Disorders 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When providing recovery mentorship to someone with a co-occurring mental health disorder, the CRM should prioritize:
- Addressing the mental health disorder before discussing substance use
- An integrated approach that addresses both conditions simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Referring entirely to psychiatry and stepping back
- Focusing exclusively on sobriety milestones
Correct answer: An integrated approach that addresses both conditions simultaneously
Integrated treatment that addresses both substance use and mental health simultaneously leads to better outcomes than sequential or parallel approaches.
Question 2: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder frequently co-occur because:
- Trauma survivors are morally weaker
- Substances may be used to self-medicate trauma symptoms such as flashbacks and hyperarousal (Correct answer)
- PTSD medication causes addiction
- Trauma improves the body's tolerance for substances
Correct answer: Substances may be used to self-medicate trauma symptoms such as flashbacks and hyperarousal
Individuals with PTSD often use substances to manage distressing symptoms like hyperarousal, nightmares, and emotional numbing — a pattern called self-medication.
Question 3: Which of the following symptoms is characteristic of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) that a recovery mentor might observe?
- Elevated mood and decreased need for sleep
- Persistent low mood, loss of interest, and fatigue (Correct answer)
- Rapid speech and grandiosity
- Hallucinations and disorganized thinking
Correct answer: Persistent low mood, loss of interest, and fatigue
MDD is characterized by persistent depressed mood, anhedonia (loss of interest), fatigue, and other symptoms lasting at least two weeks.
Question 4: A CRM notices a client with anxiety disorder is avoiding all social situations since stopping substance use. The BEST initial response is to:
- Tell the client their anxiety is not real
- Encourage the client and refer them to appropriate mental health services (Correct answer)
- Advise the client to push through alone
- Reduce their recovery support meetings to avoid overwhelming them
Correct answer: Encourage the client and refer them to appropriate mental health services
Encouraging the client and facilitating referral to a mental health professional ensures both conditions receive appropriate care.
Question 5: The term 'self-medication hypothesis' in co-occurring disorders suggests that:
- Clients should manage their own medication without a doctor
- People use substances to relieve untreated psychiatric symptoms (Correct answer)
- Mental health conditions are caused solely by substance use
- Only doctors should discuss mental health with clients
Correct answer: People use substances to relieve untreated psychiatric symptoms
The self-medication hypothesis proposes that individuals use substances to cope with underlying, often undiagnosed psychiatric symptoms.
Question 6: Which of the following behaviors should prompt a CRM to make an immediate mental health referral?
- A client who misses one support group meeting
- Expressions of suicidal ideation or intent to harm self or others (Correct answer)
- A client who is reluctant to share their personal story
- A preference for individual sessions over group sessions
Correct answer: Expressions of suicidal ideation or intent to harm self or others
Any expression of suicidal ideation or intent to harm requires immediate referral to a mental health or crisis professional.
CRM Mental Health & Co-Occurring Disorders 1
When providing recovery mentorship to someone with a co-occurring mental health disorder, the CRM should prioritize: