MSN 612 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS 2025
,Specialty mental health sector examples - ANSWERSState Psychiatric
Hospitals•Psychiatric Units in Hospitals•Residential Treatment Centers•Outpatient
Programs•Community Mental Health Centers•Day Treatment Programs•Rehab
Programs
How many people in US have a diagnosable MH condition - ANSWERS1 in 5 adults,
43.8 million adults
1 in 25 with a serious mental illness
1 in 100 (1.1%) live with Schizophrenia
2.6% live with bipolar disorder
Human services sector examples - ANSWERSHousing•Employment•Adult Criminal
Justice•Juvenile Justice•Education (Schools)•Religious Organizations
Why is mental health a social justice issue - ANSWERS- Toxic stress in poor,
minoritized communities--disparities in health and mental health that begin at a early
age.
- Unmet need for treatment is greatest in traditionally underserved groups (e.g. elderly,
racial-ethnic minorities, individuals w/low incomes, uninsured, and residents of rural
areas)
- Mental health financing and delivery is extremely variable across states, many have no
access to services
- The states with less access to mental health care have more adults who are in the
criminal justice system, more homeless adults.
What do social workers do? - ANSWERSEnhance human wellbeing (including ensuring
that basic needs are met),
- Empower individuals/groups/communities that are poor, marginalized, oppressed.
- Orientation to mental health and illness:•Must understand the contributions of
BIOPSYCH contributions (medical model),
- Must understand individuals' MH conditions in their ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEX
- Must also consider, appreciate, and centralize the coping, strengths and abilities of
individuals/groups
Insufficient access to treatment - ANSWERS- costs from health care
- not enough mental health professionals
- primary care is largest mental health service provider in the US
Biopsychosocial model - ANSWERS- bio factors (genetics, chemical 'imbalances',
structural brain anomalies, in-utero exposure, temperament);
- psycho factors (e.g., personality traits, coping, emotional regulation, trauma, self
concept);
, - social/cultural/societal factors (e.g. social support, family relationships, neighborhood
factors, SES, poverty, social stratification, stigma, treatment access).
Biological risk factors - ANSWERS- Structural Theories- Abnormalities in the structure
of the brain cause mental disorders
- Biochemical Theories - Imbalances in the levels of neurotransmitters or hormones, or
poor functioning of receptors cause mental disorders
- Genetic Theories- Alterations (anomaly, abnormality, aberration, or mutation) in genes
lead to mental disorders
- Today, there is ample scientific evidence and broad recognition that the nervous
system is highly interactive with the environment
psychological risk factors - ANSWERSself efficacy, self esteem, self regulation,
emotional regulation, coping strategies, traumatic events and losses
social risk factors - ANSWERSRisks: patterns of hostility, conflict, isolation, low
cohesion, enmeshment, absence of nurturing, inconsistent/ineffective discipline,
attachment, chronic marital discord, separation, violence, high parental stress, mental
illness in parents
- effect of neighborhood
medical model - ANSWERSa mental illness is a disease of the mind or psyche, aims for
cure (remission of symptoms) or reduction of symptoms (partial remission), restoring the
individual to as close to their 'baseline' as possible
what is differential diagnosis - ANSWERS- The systematic process of weighing the
likelihood of one disorder versus other disorders with some shared clinical features to
best account for the client's symptoms or presenting problems.
- Involves considering (i.e. making a list) of possible diagnoses (within the same
category of disorders and beyond), then attempting to eliminate them from the list.
questions used for diagnosing - ANSWERSDuration
Frequency
Intensity
Pervasiveness/setting
Context:history-when symptoms started, clinical course of symptoms- first occurrence,
recurrence, cyclical, chronic, a long history of less intensive presentation, major events
in life around start of symptom presentation (triggers), typical response to similar
stressors before, how does the child typically cope, etc.
DSM assumptions - ANSWERS- The DSM tends toward a universalist perspective on
psychopathology (rather than relativistic)
- There is some level of homogeneity within categories
- Diagnoses are true and objective entities or constructs
Pros of DSM - ANSWERSuse of shorthand
AND ANSWERS 2025
,Specialty mental health sector examples - ANSWERSState Psychiatric
Hospitals•Psychiatric Units in Hospitals•Residential Treatment Centers•Outpatient
Programs•Community Mental Health Centers•Day Treatment Programs•Rehab
Programs
How many people in US have a diagnosable MH condition - ANSWERS1 in 5 adults,
43.8 million adults
1 in 25 with a serious mental illness
1 in 100 (1.1%) live with Schizophrenia
2.6% live with bipolar disorder
Human services sector examples - ANSWERSHousing•Employment•Adult Criminal
Justice•Juvenile Justice•Education (Schools)•Religious Organizations
Why is mental health a social justice issue - ANSWERS- Toxic stress in poor,
minoritized communities--disparities in health and mental health that begin at a early
age.
- Unmet need for treatment is greatest in traditionally underserved groups (e.g. elderly,
racial-ethnic minorities, individuals w/low incomes, uninsured, and residents of rural
areas)
- Mental health financing and delivery is extremely variable across states, many have no
access to services
- The states with less access to mental health care have more adults who are in the
criminal justice system, more homeless adults.
What do social workers do? - ANSWERSEnhance human wellbeing (including ensuring
that basic needs are met),
- Empower individuals/groups/communities that are poor, marginalized, oppressed.
- Orientation to mental health and illness:•Must understand the contributions of
BIOPSYCH contributions (medical model),
- Must understand individuals' MH conditions in their ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEX
- Must also consider, appreciate, and centralize the coping, strengths and abilities of
individuals/groups
Insufficient access to treatment - ANSWERS- costs from health care
- not enough mental health professionals
- primary care is largest mental health service provider in the US
Biopsychosocial model - ANSWERS- bio factors (genetics, chemical 'imbalances',
structural brain anomalies, in-utero exposure, temperament);
- psycho factors (e.g., personality traits, coping, emotional regulation, trauma, self
concept);
, - social/cultural/societal factors (e.g. social support, family relationships, neighborhood
factors, SES, poverty, social stratification, stigma, treatment access).
Biological risk factors - ANSWERS- Structural Theories- Abnormalities in the structure
of the brain cause mental disorders
- Biochemical Theories - Imbalances in the levels of neurotransmitters or hormones, or
poor functioning of receptors cause mental disorders
- Genetic Theories- Alterations (anomaly, abnormality, aberration, or mutation) in genes
lead to mental disorders
- Today, there is ample scientific evidence and broad recognition that the nervous
system is highly interactive with the environment
psychological risk factors - ANSWERSself efficacy, self esteem, self regulation,
emotional regulation, coping strategies, traumatic events and losses
social risk factors - ANSWERSRisks: patterns of hostility, conflict, isolation, low
cohesion, enmeshment, absence of nurturing, inconsistent/ineffective discipline,
attachment, chronic marital discord, separation, violence, high parental stress, mental
illness in parents
- effect of neighborhood
medical model - ANSWERSa mental illness is a disease of the mind or psyche, aims for
cure (remission of symptoms) or reduction of symptoms (partial remission), restoring the
individual to as close to their 'baseline' as possible
what is differential diagnosis - ANSWERS- The systematic process of weighing the
likelihood of one disorder versus other disorders with some shared clinical features to
best account for the client's symptoms or presenting problems.
- Involves considering (i.e. making a list) of possible diagnoses (within the same
category of disorders and beyond), then attempting to eliminate them from the list.
questions used for diagnosing - ANSWERSDuration
Frequency
Intensity
Pervasiveness/setting
Context:history-when symptoms started, clinical course of symptoms- first occurrence,
recurrence, cyclical, chronic, a long history of less intensive presentation, major events
in life around start of symptom presentation (triggers), typical response to similar
stressors before, how does the child typically cope, etc.
DSM assumptions - ANSWERS- The DSM tends toward a universalist perspective on
psychopathology (rather than relativistic)
- There is some level of homogeneity within categories
- Diagnoses are true and objective entities or constructs
Pros of DSM - ANSWERSuse of shorthand
