NR547/ NR 547 Final Exam Study Guide (Latest 2025/ 2026 Update) Differential Diagnosis in Psychiatric-Mental Health Across the Lifespan Practicum | 100 out of 100| Questions and Verified Answers | Chamberlain

NR547/ NR 547 Final Exam Study Guide (Latest 2025/ 2026 Update) Differential Diagnosis in Psychiatric-
Mental Health Across the Lifespan Practicum | 100 out of 100| Questions and Verified Answers |
Chamberlain




Question;
When do you consider Unipolar versus Bipolar depression

Answer:
Unipolar major depression (major depressive disorder) is characterized by a history of one or
more major depressive episodes (table 3) and no history of mania (table 1) or hypomania




Question;
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)

Answer:
Scoring Instructions. Score 1 point for each bolded answer. A score of 5 or more suggests
depression.


Self-reporting tool that may be used to diagnose and treat depression




Question;
Geriatric Depression Scale

Answer:
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

,NR547/ NR 547 Final Exam Study Guide (Latest 2025/ 2026 Update) Differential Diagnosis in Psychiatric-
Mental Health Across the Lifespan Practicum | 100 out of 100| Questions and Verified Answers |
Chamberlain




Question;
Geriatric Depression Scale: Targeted Population

Answer:
he GDS may be used with healthy, medically ill and mild to moderately cognitively impaired
older adults. It has been extensively used in community, acute care, and long-term care settings.




Question;
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): Score

Answer:
Pharmacologic, psychotherapeutic, or combination 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

, NR547/ NR 547 Final Exam Study Guide (Latest 2025/ 2026 Update) Differential Diagnosis in Psychiatric-
Mental Health Across the Lifespan Practicum | 100 out of 100| Questions and Verified Answers |
Chamberlain




Question;
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): Indication for Intervention

Answer:
The presence of depression warrants prompt intervention and treatment. The GDS may be used
to 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.




Question;
Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]

Answer:
A brief 9-item self-report questionnaire used as a screening tool to assess severity of depression;
widely used by health care providers, in validity is well established, particularly for identifying
severe depression.




Question;
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

Answer: