NR 547 Midterm Study Guide: Differential Diagnosis Overview
Questions with Verified Answers (Correct Update)
Question 1: Answers 100% Verified
Answer: Differential Diagnosis Critical step in care to discern accurate diagnosis based on symptoms.
Question 2: Importance of Differential Diagnosis
Answer: Critical for safe care, helps narrow potential diagnoses based on symptoms.
Question 3: Presenting Symptoms Analysis
Answer: Identify symptoms, duration, stressors, factors affecting symptoms.
Question 4: Clinical Data Analysis
Answer: Assess physical signs, differentiate mental disorders from medical conditions.
Question 5: Laboratory Analysis Importance
Answer: Vital for accurate diagnosis, identifying comorbidities, and cost-effective care.
Question 6: Medical History Significance
Answer: Reveals potential causes, comorbidities, and influences treatment decisions.
Question 7: Medication Review
Answer: Assess current psych meds, compliance, side effects, and interactions.
Question 8: Evidence-Based Screening Tools
Answer: Standardize info collection, aid in treatment planning and monitoring.
Question 9: Scoring in Screening Tools
Answer: Provides a standardized evaluation of symptoms and treatment response.
Question 10: Advantages of Rating Scales
Answer: Establish baseline, monitor progression, aid in treatment evaluation.
Question 11: WHODAS 2.0
Answer: Self-administered disability assessment measuring impairments in various areas.
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, Question 12: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID)
Answer: Gold standard interview for diagnosing psychiatric disorders.
Question 13: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)
Answer: Short scale measuring severity of psychiatric symptoms, used in schizophrenia treatment
studies.
Question 14: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)
Answer: Used to assess positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia; requires a clinician, has high
reliability and validity, and is a standard tool for clinical outcome assessment.
Question 15: Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS)
Answer: Assesses hallucinations, delusions, bizarre behavior, and thought disorder in schizophrenia.
Question 16: Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS)
Answer: Assesses affective flattening, poverty of speech, apathy, anhedonia, and inattentiveness in
schizophrenia.
Question 17: Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D)
Answer: Monitors severity of major depression focusing on somatic symptoms; consists of 17 items and
has good reliability and validity.
Question 18: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Answer: Rates depression severity focusing on behavioral and cognitive dimensions; can be completed
in 5-10 minutes and is used as an outcome measure in major depression trials.
Question 19: Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)
Answer: Assesses anxiety symptoms somatic and cognitive; has good reliability and validity and is used
to monitor treatment response in anxiety disorders.
Question 20: Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS)
Answer: Rates the severity of panic disorder using a 7-item Likert scale; has excellent reliability and
validity.
Question 21: Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)
Answer: Includes 17 items to diagnose PTSD; requires a trained clinician, has good reliability and
validity, and is used for diagnosis and severity assessment.
Page 2
Questions with Verified Answers (Correct Update)
Question 1: Answers 100% Verified
Answer: Differential Diagnosis Critical step in care to discern accurate diagnosis based on symptoms.
Question 2: Importance of Differential Diagnosis
Answer: Critical for safe care, helps narrow potential diagnoses based on symptoms.
Question 3: Presenting Symptoms Analysis
Answer: Identify symptoms, duration, stressors, factors affecting symptoms.
Question 4: Clinical Data Analysis
Answer: Assess physical signs, differentiate mental disorders from medical conditions.
Question 5: Laboratory Analysis Importance
Answer: Vital for accurate diagnosis, identifying comorbidities, and cost-effective care.
Question 6: Medical History Significance
Answer: Reveals potential causes, comorbidities, and influences treatment decisions.
Question 7: Medication Review
Answer: Assess current psych meds, compliance, side effects, and interactions.
Question 8: Evidence-Based Screening Tools
Answer: Standardize info collection, aid in treatment planning and monitoring.
Question 9: Scoring in Screening Tools
Answer: Provides a standardized evaluation of symptoms and treatment response.
Question 10: Advantages of Rating Scales
Answer: Establish baseline, monitor progression, aid in treatment evaluation.
Question 11: WHODAS 2.0
Answer: Self-administered disability assessment measuring impairments in various areas.
Page 1
, Question 12: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID)
Answer: Gold standard interview for diagnosing psychiatric disorders.
Question 13: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)
Answer: Short scale measuring severity of psychiatric symptoms, used in schizophrenia treatment
studies.
Question 14: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)
Answer: Used to assess positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia; requires a clinician, has high
reliability and validity, and is a standard tool for clinical outcome assessment.
Question 15: Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS)
Answer: Assesses hallucinations, delusions, bizarre behavior, and thought disorder in schizophrenia.
Question 16: Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS)
Answer: Assesses affective flattening, poverty of speech, apathy, anhedonia, and inattentiveness in
schizophrenia.
Question 17: Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D)
Answer: Monitors severity of major depression focusing on somatic symptoms; consists of 17 items and
has good reliability and validity.
Question 18: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Answer: Rates depression severity focusing on behavioral and cognitive dimensions; can be completed
in 5-10 minutes and is used as an outcome measure in major depression trials.
Question 19: Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)
Answer: Assesses anxiety symptoms somatic and cognitive; has good reliability and validity and is used
to monitor treatment response in anxiety disorders.
Question 20: Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS)
Answer: Rates the severity of panic disorder using a 7-item Likert scale; has excellent reliability and
validity.
Question 21: Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)
Answer: Includes 17 items to diagnose PTSD; requires a trained clinician, has good reliability and
validity, and is used for diagnosis and severity assessment.
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