NR 547 Final Study Guide – PMHNP /
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS IN PSYCHIATRIC-MENTAL
HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN PRACTICUM / 60+
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (A+ GUIDE
SOLUTION) – CHAMBERLAIN / 2025-2026
Terms in this set (69)
When do you consider Unipolar major depression (major depressive disorder) is
Unipolar versus Bipolar characterized by a history of one or more major
depression depressive episodes (table 3) and no history of mania
(table 1) or hypomania
Geriatric Depression Scale Scoring Instructions. Score 1 point for each bolded answer. A
(GDS) score of 5 or more suggests depression.
Self-reporting tool that may be used to diagnose and treat
depression
Geriatric Depression Scale The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a self-report
measure of depression in older adults. Users respond in a
"Yes/No" format. The GDS was originally developed as a
30-item instrument. Since this version proved both time-
consuming and difficult for some patients to complete, a
15-item version was developed. The shortened form (GDS-
S) is comprised of 15 items chosen from the Geriatric
Depression Scale-Long Form (GDS-L). These 15 items were
chosen because of their high correlation with depressive
symptoms in previous validation studies
,Geriatric Depression he GDS may be used with healthy, medically ill and mild to
moderately cognitively impaired older adults. It has been
Scale: Targeted
extensively used in community, acute care, and long-term
Population care settings.
Geriatric Depression Scale Pharmacologic, psychotherapeutic, or combination
(GDS): Score treatment indicated of the 15 items, 10 indicated the
presence of depression when answered positively, while the
rest (question numbers 1, 5, 7, 11, 13) indicated depression
when answered negatively.
Scores of 0-4 are considered normal, depending on age,
education, and complaints; (No Treatment)
5-8 indicate mild depression; (Pharmacologic or
psychotherapeutic treatment may be indicated Base
treatment on duration of symptoms and functional
impairment
9-11 indicate moderate depression; (Pharmacologic,
psychotherapeutic, or combination treatment
indicated)
12-15 indicate severe depression.(Pharmacologic,
psychotherapeutic, or combination treatment indicated
Geriatric Depression Scale The presence of depression warrants prompt
(GDS): Indication for intervention and treatment. The GDS may be used to
Intervention monitor depression over time in all clinical settings.
Any positive score above 5 on the GDS Short Form should
prompt an in-depth psychological assessment and
evaluation for suicidality.
, A brief 9-item self-report questionnaire used as a screening
Patient Health tool to assess severity of depression; widely used by health
Questionnaire [PHQ-9] care providers, in validity is well established, particularly
for identifying severe depression.
The Beck Depression Widely used to screen for depression and to measure behavioral
Inventory (BDI) manifestations and severity of depression.
The BDI can be used for ages 13 to 80. The inventory
contains 21 self-report items which individuals complete
using multiple choice response formats.
The BDI takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Validity and reliability of the BDI has been tested across
populations, worldwide.
Center for Epidemiologic Designed for use in the general population and is now used as
Studies Depression Scale a screener for depression in primary care settings.
(CES-D)
It includes 20 self-report items, scored on a 4-point scale,
which measure major dimensions of depression
experienced in the past week.
The CES-D can be used for children as young as 6 and
through older adulthood. It has been tested across gender
and cultural populations and maintains consistent validity
and reliability. The scale takes about 20 minutes to
administer, including scoring.
EQ-5D The EQ-5D is a standardized, non-disease specific
instrument for describing and evaluating healthrelated
quality of life. The instrument measures quality of life in
five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities,
pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression.
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS IN PSYCHIATRIC-MENTAL
HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN PRACTICUM / 60+
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (A+ GUIDE
SOLUTION) – CHAMBERLAIN / 2025-2026
Terms in this set (69)
When do you consider Unipolar major depression (major depressive disorder) is
Unipolar versus Bipolar characterized by a history of one or more major
depression depressive episodes (table 3) and no history of mania
(table 1) or hypomania
Geriatric Depression Scale Scoring Instructions. Score 1 point for each bolded answer. A
(GDS) score of 5 or more suggests depression.
Self-reporting tool that may be used to diagnose and treat
depression
Geriatric Depression Scale The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a self-report
measure of depression in older adults. Users respond in a
"Yes/No" format. The GDS was originally developed as a
30-item instrument. Since this version proved both time-
consuming and difficult for some patients to complete, a
15-item version was developed. The shortened form (GDS-
S) is comprised of 15 items chosen from the Geriatric
Depression Scale-Long Form (GDS-L). These 15 items were
chosen because of their high correlation with depressive
symptoms in previous validation studies
,Geriatric Depression he GDS may be used with healthy, medically ill and mild to
moderately cognitively impaired older adults. It has been
Scale: Targeted
extensively used in community, acute care, and long-term
Population care settings.
Geriatric Depression Scale Pharmacologic, psychotherapeutic, or combination
(GDS): Score treatment indicated of the 15 items, 10 indicated the
presence of depression when answered positively, while the
rest (question numbers 1, 5, 7, 11, 13) indicated depression
when answered negatively.
Scores of 0-4 are considered normal, depending on age,
education, and complaints; (No Treatment)
5-8 indicate mild depression; (Pharmacologic or
psychotherapeutic treatment may be indicated Base
treatment on duration of symptoms and functional
impairment
9-11 indicate moderate depression; (Pharmacologic,
psychotherapeutic, or combination treatment
indicated)
12-15 indicate severe depression.(Pharmacologic,
psychotherapeutic, or combination treatment indicated
Geriatric Depression Scale The presence of depression warrants prompt
(GDS): Indication for intervention and treatment. The GDS may be used to
Intervention monitor depression over time in all clinical settings.
Any positive score above 5 on the GDS Short Form should
prompt an in-depth psychological assessment and
evaluation for suicidality.
, A brief 9-item self-report questionnaire used as a screening
Patient Health tool to assess severity of depression; widely used by health
Questionnaire [PHQ-9] care providers, in validity is well established, particularly
for identifying severe depression.
The Beck Depression Widely used to screen for depression and to measure behavioral
Inventory (BDI) manifestations and severity of depression.
The BDI can be used for ages 13 to 80. The inventory
contains 21 self-report items which individuals complete
using multiple choice response formats.
The BDI takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Validity and reliability of the BDI has been tested across
populations, worldwide.
Center for Epidemiologic Designed for use in the general population and is now used as
Studies Depression Scale a screener for depression in primary care settings.
(CES-D)
It includes 20 self-report items, scored on a 4-point scale,
which measure major dimensions of depression
experienced in the past week.
The CES-D can be used for children as young as 6 and
through older adulthood. It has been tested across gender
and cultural populations and maintains consistent validity
and reliability. The scale takes about 20 minutes to
administer, including scoring.
EQ-5D The EQ-5D is a standardized, non-disease specific
instrument for describing and evaluating healthrelated
quality of life. The instrument measures quality of life in
five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities,
pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression.
