NR 547 ACTUAL EXAM 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ 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
◉ 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
◉ 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.
◉ 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
◉ 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.
◉ 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.
◉ The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Answer: Widely used to
screen for depression and to measure behavioral 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 Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).
Answer: Designed for use in the general population and is now used as a
screener for depression in primary care settings.
WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ 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
◉ 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
◉ 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.
◉ 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
◉ 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.
◉ 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.
◉ The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Answer: Widely used to
screen for depression and to measure behavioral 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 Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).
Answer: Designed for use in the general population and is now used as a
screener for depression in primary care settings.
