NURS 6501 Final | Expert Verified Questions
and Answers | Most Recent 2026 Update
• What is the role of the primary care provider in mental health? -✓✓ - Screen for mental
health issues
- Improve outcomes and reduce health care costs
- Assess and give care to mild-moderate disorders or patients with stable severe mental
disorders
- From strong links with mental health specialty care for complex cases
Sharing patient info (ex: meds used)
• about PHQ2
- what does it screen for, what are the questions, scoring -✓✓ - Screens for MDD
- It is the first two questions of the PHQ9
- In the last two week, have you been feeling these (not at all, several days, more than
half the day, nearly everyday):
- Little interest or pleasure in doing things?
- Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?
Scoring:
A single yes or score >3 (out of 0-6) = possible clinical depression ⇒ due the PHQ9
If the pt screens (+) ⇒ continue to eval with the PHQ9
• about PHQ9
- what its used for, questions, scoring -✓✓ Used for screening, diagnosing, and treating
- It asks about functioning impairments which is needed for the DSM-based diagnosis
Includes asking about suicide or hurting self
Scoring:
0-27 available
0-4: Minimal/none
Monitor; may not require treatment
5-9: Mild
Use clinical judgment; follow-up in one month
10-14: Moderate
Use clinical judgment; may need meds if functionally impaired
15-19: Moderately Severe
Warrants active treatment with psychotherapy, meds, or combo
20-27: Severe
Warrants active treatment with psychotherapy, meds, or combo
, • What is the appropriate initiation dose for fluoxetine for adults and geriatric adults? -
✓✓ 20mg PO once daily in the AM
- May ↑ daily dose after several weeks if inadequate response
- Full therapeutic effect may be delayed 4 weeks or longer
- Max dose: 80mg/day
• What labs would be appropriate to draw if you initiate fluoxetine in a geriatric patient? -
✓✓ Sodium levels
- Baseline screening & after 3-4 weeks in high-risk patients (> 65yrs, previous hx of
antidepressant-induced hyponatremia, low body weight, concomitant use of thiazides or
other hyponatremia-inducing agents)
- monitor regularly in the elderly
• What are potential side effects of SSRI medications?
- what are the common SSRIs, LEAP of them, and zoloft AE -✓✓ Common SSRIs:
Lexapro, celexa, paxil, zoloft, prozac
L = decreased libido and sleep
E = Neutral effect on energy
A = neural effect on addiction
P = celexa may stop working after awhile (increase or switch)
Zoloft AE:
Insomnia, somnolence, fatigue, abnormal ejaculation, suicidal thoughts
• What are characteristics of major depressive disorder or MDD? 9 -✓✓ Diagnostics
need 5 or more of the following:
- SS occur more days than not in a 2 week period
- SS cause significant impairment in any realm of functioning
- Depressed mood
- Loss of interest
- Significant unintended ▲ in weight or appetite
- Significant ▲ sleep
- ▲ psychomotor activity (restlessness)
- Fatigue, loss of energy
- Worthlessness, guilt
• What is serotonin syndrome? -✓✓ - Increased serotonergic activity in the CNS
- Can be due to therapeutic med use, inadvertent drug interactions, or self-OD
Serotonin in the Body:
CNS: Modulates attention, behavior, and thermoregulation
PNS: Regulates GI motility, vasoconstriction, uterine contraction, and
bronchoconstriction, promotes PLT aggregation
• PE of serotonin syndrome 11 -✓✓ - Hyperthermia, flushed skin, diaphoresis
and Answers | Most Recent 2026 Update
• What is the role of the primary care provider in mental health? -✓✓ - Screen for mental
health issues
- Improve outcomes and reduce health care costs
- Assess and give care to mild-moderate disorders or patients with stable severe mental
disorders
- From strong links with mental health specialty care for complex cases
Sharing patient info (ex: meds used)
• about PHQ2
- what does it screen for, what are the questions, scoring -✓✓ - Screens for MDD
- It is the first two questions of the PHQ9
- In the last two week, have you been feeling these (not at all, several days, more than
half the day, nearly everyday):
- Little interest or pleasure in doing things?
- Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?
Scoring:
A single yes or score >3 (out of 0-6) = possible clinical depression ⇒ due the PHQ9
If the pt screens (+) ⇒ continue to eval with the PHQ9
• about PHQ9
- what its used for, questions, scoring -✓✓ Used for screening, diagnosing, and treating
- It asks about functioning impairments which is needed for the DSM-based diagnosis
Includes asking about suicide or hurting self
Scoring:
0-27 available
0-4: Minimal/none
Monitor; may not require treatment
5-9: Mild
Use clinical judgment; follow-up in one month
10-14: Moderate
Use clinical judgment; may need meds if functionally impaired
15-19: Moderately Severe
Warrants active treatment with psychotherapy, meds, or combo
20-27: Severe
Warrants active treatment with psychotherapy, meds, or combo
, • What is the appropriate initiation dose for fluoxetine for adults and geriatric adults? -
✓✓ 20mg PO once daily in the AM
- May ↑ daily dose after several weeks if inadequate response
- Full therapeutic effect may be delayed 4 weeks or longer
- Max dose: 80mg/day
• What labs would be appropriate to draw if you initiate fluoxetine in a geriatric patient? -
✓✓ Sodium levels
- Baseline screening & after 3-4 weeks in high-risk patients (> 65yrs, previous hx of
antidepressant-induced hyponatremia, low body weight, concomitant use of thiazides or
other hyponatremia-inducing agents)
- monitor regularly in the elderly
• What are potential side effects of SSRI medications?
- what are the common SSRIs, LEAP of them, and zoloft AE -✓✓ Common SSRIs:
Lexapro, celexa, paxil, zoloft, prozac
L = decreased libido and sleep
E = Neutral effect on energy
A = neural effect on addiction
P = celexa may stop working after awhile (increase or switch)
Zoloft AE:
Insomnia, somnolence, fatigue, abnormal ejaculation, suicidal thoughts
• What are characteristics of major depressive disorder or MDD? 9 -✓✓ Diagnostics
need 5 or more of the following:
- SS occur more days than not in a 2 week period
- SS cause significant impairment in any realm of functioning
- Depressed mood
- Loss of interest
- Significant unintended ▲ in weight or appetite
- Significant ▲ sleep
- ▲ psychomotor activity (restlessness)
- Fatigue, loss of energy
- Worthlessness, guilt
• What is serotonin syndrome? -✓✓ - Increased serotonergic activity in the CNS
- Can be due to therapeutic med use, inadvertent drug interactions, or self-OD
Serotonin in the Body:
CNS: Modulates attention, behavior, and thermoregulation
PNS: Regulates GI motility, vasoconstriction, uterine contraction, and
bronchoconstriction, promotes PLT aggregation
• PE of serotonin syndrome 11 -✓✓ - Hyperthermia, flushed skin, diaphoresis
