DSM-5 & Diagnosis
This manual is the primary diagnostic reference used by mental health clinicians in the United States.
What is the DSM-5-TR?
This evidence-based therapy focuses on identifying and restructuring maladaptive thoughts.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
This process ensures clients understand treatment, risks, benefits, and alternatives before agreeing to services.
What is informed consent?
This nine-item questionnaire is one of the most commonly used depression screening tools.
What is the PHQ-9?
A client reports panic attacks, avoids crowded places, and fears escaping during an attack would be difficult.
What is Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia (or Panic Disorder with agoraphobic avoidance)?
A major depressive episode requires symptoms to be present for at least this long.
What is the two week rule?
This therapy developed by Marsha Linehan emphasizes mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
This ethical principle requires clinicians to keep client information private except under specific legal or safety exceptions.
What is confidentiality?
This seven-item screening tool is commonly used to assess generalized anxiety symptoms.
What is the GAD-7?
A client experiences intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance, and hypervigilance one month after a traumatic event.
What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
This disorder is characterized by excessive worry occurring more days than not for at least six months.
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
This counseling style is designed to strengthen a client's own motivation for change.
What is Motivational Interviewing?
These relationships occur when a clinician has both a professional and another significant relationship with a client.
What are dual (or multiple) relationships?
These three elements are commonly assessed when evaluating suicide risk.
What are ideation, plan, and intent?
A client presents with hallucinations, disorganized speech, and impaired functioning lasting longer than six months.
What is Schizophrenia?
This symptom distinguishes mania from hypomania because it causes marked impairment, hospitalization, or psychotic features.
What is significant functional impairment (or hospitalization/psychosis)?
This therapy encourages clients to accept internal experiences while committing to actions aligned with personal values.
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
This ethical obligation may require warning an identifiable person when a client makes a credible threat of serious violence.
What is the duty to warn (or duty to protect)?
This structured intervention helps reduce suicide risk by identifying coping strategies, supports, and emergency resources.
What is a Safety Plan?
A client presents with elevated mood, decreased need for sleep, grandiosity, and risky behaviors lasting over one week.
What is a manic episode?
These two disorders are differentiated by the presence of mania versus hypomania.
What are the differentiation between Bipolar I Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder?
This therapeutic factor, identified by Carl Rogers, involves accurately understanding a client's feelings and experiences.
What is empathy?
These four principles form the foundation of biomedical ethics.
What are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice?
This type of assessment evaluates immediate risk to self, others, and the need for a higher level of care.
What is a crisis risk assessment?
When evaluating any clinical presentation, this systematic process considers multiple possible diagnoses before selecting the most likely one.
What is a differential diagnosis?