NR 547 Final Study Guide – PMHNP
Exam Q&A 100% Solved | Graded A+
When do you consider Unipolar versus Bipolar depression - ✔✔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
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) - ✔✔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
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
1
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,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 Scale: Targeted Population - ✔✔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.
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): Score - ✔✔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
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, 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 (GDS): Indication for Intervention - ✔✔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.
Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9] - ✔✔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.
3
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
Exam Q&A 100% Solved | Graded A+
When do you consider Unipolar versus Bipolar depression - ✔✔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
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) - ✔✔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
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
1
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
,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 Scale: Targeted Population - ✔✔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.
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): Score - ✔✔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
2
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
, 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 (GDS): Indication for Intervention - ✔✔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.
Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9] - ✔✔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.
3
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
