Mindful Continuing Education

1. A diagnosis of COD requires that individuals have one or more disorders relating to the use of alcohol and/or other drugs of abuse, as well as one or more mental disorders, and at least one disorder of each type can be established independent of the other, and is not simply a cluster of symptoms resulting from one disorder.

A. True B. False

2. Successful pharmacologic interventions for individuals with COD are most likely to occur in the context of a relationship in which the prescriber positions himself or herself as a collaborator in the recovery process, with the goal of helping the individual achieve:

A. Improved daily functioning B. Positive social adjustment C. His or her life goals D. A sense of meaning and purpose

3. When individuals present for service in any healthcare setting, experts recommend specific requirements related to blood alcohol levels, length of abstinence from psychoactive substances, or length of medication adherence as a precondition for access to evaluations and appropriate care.

A. True B. False

4. Assessment of individuals with COD should occur over time and include each of the following EXCEPT:

A. A review of chronologic history, including time frames for onset and continuation of both mental and substance use disorders B. Differentiation between substance-induced disorders that resolve when substance use stops and independent, co-occurring mental disorders that require ongoing intervention C. A review of family history of both mental and substance use disorders D. A review of previous non-pharmacological interventions for behavioral disorders including effectiveness and problems encountered

5. When a determination has been made that both a mental and substance use disorder are present, the prescriber should determine which disorder will be considered 'primary" so that treatment plans can focus on the primary disorder first, and then integrate other interventions for the secondary disorder when appropriate.

A. True B. False

6. Individualized treatment plans that include pharmacologic strategies should be developed through a ______________ planning process and should integrate interventions to respond to multiple factors identified in the assessment.

A. Person-centered B. Recovery-focused C. Strength-based D. Goal-oriented

7. In general, the most appropriate medication for addressing an individual's mental disorder is likely to be the same medication for addressing these symptoms when the individual is diagnosed with a co-occurring substance use disorder.

A. True B. False

8. Which of the following is NOT a correct statement about the general principles of relapse prevention, continuity of treatment, and quality improvement?

A. Along with identifying relapse signs and causes, the goal of relapse prevention is to assist individuals in anticipating early warning signs and developing strategies to interrupt the relapse process B. Medications that are used for symptom management and stabilization of known mental disorders or medical conditions should generally be discontinued when the individual continues to abuse substances C. When individuals continues to abuse substances, they should be closely monitored and discontinuation of treatment should only occur when the risk of prescribing outweighs the benefits of continued therapy D. Prescribers should develop a quality improvement approach to address the needs of individuals with COD that involves monitoring the effect of treatment decisions and keeping up to date on new medications, research on drug use, and revised standards of practice