NCAC II Exam Questions and Answers
informed consent - Correct Answers -requires that an individual not only provide
voluntary consent, but that he or she be adequately informed regarding choices,
options, and outcomes to have properly understood the meaning of the consent or
refusal that was given. Typically this requires disclosure of: nature and purpose of the
treatment, the risks and consequences, the available alternatives, and the risks of no
treatment
PHI - Correct Answers -Protected Health Information is any information about health
status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a
specific individual.
PII - Correct Answers -Personally Identifiable Information is information about
individuals that can be used to trace a person's identity, such as a full name, birthdate,
biometric data, and identifying numbers such as a Social Security number (SSN).
duty to warn - Correct Answers -mental health professional's responsibility to break
confidentiality and notify the potential victim whom a client has specifically threatened to
imminently harm.
MDMA - Correct Answers -increases release of dopamine and norepinephrine, higher
doses acts as a serotonin agonist and causes hallucinations
short term effects of MDMA - Correct Answers -headaches, fever, seizures, dilated
pupils, rapid eye movement, increased HR/BP/temp, jaw clenching, dry mouth,
dehydration, appetite suppression, nausea/vomiting, convulsions
long term effects of MDMA - Correct Answers -destroys serotonin, dopamine, and
norepinephrine systems, short term memory loss, decreased attention span/verbal
reasoning, liver damage, depression
cannabis - Correct Answers -affects endogenous cannabinoid receptors, hippocampus,
basal ganglia, and cerebellum
side effects of cannabis - Correct Answers -euphoria followed by relaxation; impaired
memory, concentration, and knowledge retention; loss of coordination; irritation to lungs
and respiratory system; dry mouth, increase in HR/BP, headaches, increased appetite,
tremors, drowsiness
,opiate dependence - Correct Answers -repeated self-administration that results in opiate
tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and compulsive drug taking
opiate withdrawal symptoms - Correct Answers -anxiety, piloerection (goosebumps),
insomnia, convulsions, tremor, difficulty urinating, constipation, dizziness, mood
changes, blood disorders, rashes, abdominal cramps, blurred vision, and vomiting.
More severe includes asystole (heart stops beating) or apnea (person stops breathing)
and death
screening - Correct Answers -usually brief and are used to determine if further
assessment is needed/what the appropriate initial course of action is
essential screening competencies - Correct Answers -creating a rapport, collecting data,
screen for toxicity/intoxication/withdrawal, address the impact of addiction, identify
readiness for change, consider and select appropriate tx options, formulate an action
plan, pursue admission/referrals to follow through
assessment - Correct Answers -comes after screening and is more in depth/ongoing.
Aims to define the nature, duration, and expected outcome of tx.
ASAM levels of care - Correct Answers -outpatient treatment, intensive outpatient/partial
hospitalization, residential/inpatient treatment, and medically managed intensive
inpatient treatment
ASI - Correct Answers -Addiction Severity Index is a tool used to determine appropriate
ASAM level of care
ASI domains (7) - Correct Answers -alcohol use, drug use, employment, family/social
relationships, legal, psychological, and medical status
leads to meaningful and enduring outcomes (re: client expectations) - Correct Answers -
readiness for therapy, perceived self-efficacy, expectations of a positive outcome, and
perceived social support
how to determine primary dx when co-occurring disorders are present - Correct
Answers -consider which was present first, whether one tends to come and go vs being
persistent, and safety issues
what LOC is recommended - Correct Answers -the least restrictive environment that the
client can be in safely
what constitutes a crisis - Correct Answers -hazardous or stressful situation, awareness
of the potential for significant life disruption or emotional upset, and inadequate coping
strategies
, principles of crisis intervention - Correct Answers -proximity (familiar surroundings),
immediacy, expectancy (stating confidence the problem can be solved), brevity (short &
meaningful), simplicity, creativity, practicality
stages of crisis intervention - Correct Answers -assessment, establishing rapport,
exploring the crisis problem, exploring feelings and emotions, generating and exploring
alternatives, developing and implementing a crisis action plan, and checking the plan's
success/following up
long-term effects of alcohol use - Correct Answers -organic brain syndrome (permanent
brain cell damage), inflammation of the pancreas, liver cirrhosis, esophageal cancer,
stomach inflammation, depressed genital reflexes, cognitive deficits, hardening of the
arteries, irregular heart rhythm, difficulty breathing
SUD in males - Correct Answers -younger with first drink, earlier physical dependency,
drink more/earlier in the day, binge more, DT and blackout more, and more
social/legal/vocational problems due to use
SUD in females - Correct Answers -drink alone more, more aware of SUD problems,
more suicide attempts, SUD tends to be more stigmatizing/less likely to seek help.
psychosocial assessment should include - Correct Answers -client
identification/demographics, presenting problem, referral source, past SUD
history/treatment, MH history/treatment, legal history, medical history, educational
history, employment history, family history, support systems, religious views/practices,
sociocultural factors that might impact tx, language/cultural barriers, client
strengths/weaknesses
common personality traits with SUD use - Correct Answers -poor frustration tolerance,
impulsivity, manipulative traits, excessive dependency
Wernicke syndrome - Correct Answers -somewhat reversible; occurs due to an alcohol-
related thiamine deficiency and symptoms include confusion, loss of memory,
staggering gait, inability to focus the eye
Korsakoff syndrome - Correct Answers -not very reversible; occurs due to chronic
alcoholism and symptoms include amnesia, inability to learn, hallucinations, deficits in
reasoning, visuospatial impairment
addiction - Correct Answers -compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse
consequences
GABA - Correct Answers -a major inhibitory neurotransmitter affected by alcohol,
regulates sleep and seizures
informed consent - Correct Answers -requires that an individual not only provide
voluntary consent, but that he or she be adequately informed regarding choices,
options, and outcomes to have properly understood the meaning of the consent or
refusal that was given. Typically this requires disclosure of: nature and purpose of the
treatment, the risks and consequences, the available alternatives, and the risks of no
treatment
PHI - Correct Answers -Protected Health Information is any information about health
status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a
specific individual.
PII - Correct Answers -Personally Identifiable Information is information about
individuals that can be used to trace a person's identity, such as a full name, birthdate,
biometric data, and identifying numbers such as a Social Security number (SSN).
duty to warn - Correct Answers -mental health professional's responsibility to break
confidentiality and notify the potential victim whom a client has specifically threatened to
imminently harm.
MDMA - Correct Answers -increases release of dopamine and norepinephrine, higher
doses acts as a serotonin agonist and causes hallucinations
short term effects of MDMA - Correct Answers -headaches, fever, seizures, dilated
pupils, rapid eye movement, increased HR/BP/temp, jaw clenching, dry mouth,
dehydration, appetite suppression, nausea/vomiting, convulsions
long term effects of MDMA - Correct Answers -destroys serotonin, dopamine, and
norepinephrine systems, short term memory loss, decreased attention span/verbal
reasoning, liver damage, depression
cannabis - Correct Answers -affects endogenous cannabinoid receptors, hippocampus,
basal ganglia, and cerebellum
side effects of cannabis - Correct Answers -euphoria followed by relaxation; impaired
memory, concentration, and knowledge retention; loss of coordination; irritation to lungs
and respiratory system; dry mouth, increase in HR/BP, headaches, increased appetite,
tremors, drowsiness
,opiate dependence - Correct Answers -repeated self-administration that results in opiate
tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and compulsive drug taking
opiate withdrawal symptoms - Correct Answers -anxiety, piloerection (goosebumps),
insomnia, convulsions, tremor, difficulty urinating, constipation, dizziness, mood
changes, blood disorders, rashes, abdominal cramps, blurred vision, and vomiting.
More severe includes asystole (heart stops beating) or apnea (person stops breathing)
and death
screening - Correct Answers -usually brief and are used to determine if further
assessment is needed/what the appropriate initial course of action is
essential screening competencies - Correct Answers -creating a rapport, collecting data,
screen for toxicity/intoxication/withdrawal, address the impact of addiction, identify
readiness for change, consider and select appropriate tx options, formulate an action
plan, pursue admission/referrals to follow through
assessment - Correct Answers -comes after screening and is more in depth/ongoing.
Aims to define the nature, duration, and expected outcome of tx.
ASAM levels of care - Correct Answers -outpatient treatment, intensive outpatient/partial
hospitalization, residential/inpatient treatment, and medically managed intensive
inpatient treatment
ASI - Correct Answers -Addiction Severity Index is a tool used to determine appropriate
ASAM level of care
ASI domains (7) - Correct Answers -alcohol use, drug use, employment, family/social
relationships, legal, psychological, and medical status
leads to meaningful and enduring outcomes (re: client expectations) - Correct Answers -
readiness for therapy, perceived self-efficacy, expectations of a positive outcome, and
perceived social support
how to determine primary dx when co-occurring disorders are present - Correct
Answers -consider which was present first, whether one tends to come and go vs being
persistent, and safety issues
what LOC is recommended - Correct Answers -the least restrictive environment that the
client can be in safely
what constitutes a crisis - Correct Answers -hazardous or stressful situation, awareness
of the potential for significant life disruption or emotional upset, and inadequate coping
strategies
, principles of crisis intervention - Correct Answers -proximity (familiar surroundings),
immediacy, expectancy (stating confidence the problem can be solved), brevity (short &
meaningful), simplicity, creativity, practicality
stages of crisis intervention - Correct Answers -assessment, establishing rapport,
exploring the crisis problem, exploring feelings and emotions, generating and exploring
alternatives, developing and implementing a crisis action plan, and checking the plan's
success/following up
long-term effects of alcohol use - Correct Answers -organic brain syndrome (permanent
brain cell damage), inflammation of the pancreas, liver cirrhosis, esophageal cancer,
stomach inflammation, depressed genital reflexes, cognitive deficits, hardening of the
arteries, irregular heart rhythm, difficulty breathing
SUD in males - Correct Answers -younger with first drink, earlier physical dependency,
drink more/earlier in the day, binge more, DT and blackout more, and more
social/legal/vocational problems due to use
SUD in females - Correct Answers -drink alone more, more aware of SUD problems,
more suicide attempts, SUD tends to be more stigmatizing/less likely to seek help.
psychosocial assessment should include - Correct Answers -client
identification/demographics, presenting problem, referral source, past SUD
history/treatment, MH history/treatment, legal history, medical history, educational
history, employment history, family history, support systems, religious views/practices,
sociocultural factors that might impact tx, language/cultural barriers, client
strengths/weaknesses
common personality traits with SUD use - Correct Answers -poor frustration tolerance,
impulsivity, manipulative traits, excessive dependency
Wernicke syndrome - Correct Answers -somewhat reversible; occurs due to an alcohol-
related thiamine deficiency and symptoms include confusion, loss of memory,
staggering gait, inability to focus the eye
Korsakoff syndrome - Correct Answers -not very reversible; occurs due to chronic
alcoholism and symptoms include amnesia, inability to learn, hallucinations, deficits in
reasoning, visuospatial impairment
addiction - Correct Answers -compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse
consequences
GABA - Correct Answers -a major inhibitory neurotransmitter affected by alcohol,
regulates sleep and seizures
