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LMSW Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis Questions and Answers Flashcards

6 cards from real LMSW practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 LMSW Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis Questions and Answers flashcards as text

  1. A social worker using the biopsychosocial model during assessment would include all of the following EXCEPT:

    Answer: Client's insurance coverage and copay amount

    The biopsychosocial model focuses on biological, psychological, and social factors; financial/insurance details are administrative, not clinical assessment domains.

  2. A client meets criteria for both Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. According to DSM-5, the social worker should:

    Answer: Assign both diagnoses using comorbid coding

    DSM-5 allows and encourages comorbid diagnoses when a client meets full criteria for more than one disorder simultaneously.

  3. Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a Mental Status Examination (MSE)?

    Answer: To document a systematic observation of a client's current cognitive and emotional functioning

    The MSE is a structured clinical observation of a client's appearance, behavior, speech, mood, affect, thought process, cognition, and insight at a specific point in time.

  4. A 35-year-old client reports episodes of intense fear with heart palpitations, sweating, and a sense of impending doom that peak within ten minutes and occur unexpectedly. Which diagnosis MOST fits this presentation?

    Answer: Panic Disorder

    Panic Disorder is characterized by recurrent unexpected panic attacks with persistent concern about future attacks or maladaptive behavioral changes.

  5. When assessing a client for Borderline Personality Disorder, which of the following is a hallmark feature according to DSM-5?

    Answer: Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment

    Frantic efforts to avoid abandonment is one of the nine diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder in DSM-5.

  6. A social worker notes that a client's affect is incongruent with the content of their speech—laughing while describing a recent loss. This finding is BEST documented as:

    Answer: Inappropriate affect

    Inappropriate affect describes an emotional response that is inconsistent or incongruent with the context or content of the client's communication.