PMHNP Certification Q & A Fitzgerald Health Education Associates

Mrs. Bowen is a 33-year-old female who presents as a new patient requesting medication for depression. She reports a long history of mood disorders on and off going back to adolescence. She is very articulate in describing her history and reports that neither sertraline nor fluoxetine “worked for her.” With respect to considering Mrs. Bowen’s medication history, the PMHNP knows that: A. A SNRI will likely be the most appropriate choice if pharmacotherapy is indicated for this episode B....

Chantel is a 19-year-old female who presents for care because she thinks she is bipolar. During her initial interview, she admits that she has a long history of feeling like she was the person in the family of whom there were always high expectations, and she was never able to express her feelings of inadequacy. When asked why she thinks she is bipolar, she says she gets very moody. She was at the grocery store last week and slipped and fell; while waiting for help she could not control her a...

Renee is a 27-year-old female who has come to group therapy while incarcerated in the city jail. She was arrested for vagrancy because she was sleeping in her car. She could not post bail and was sentenced to 14 days in jail. During group she contributes that none of this is her fault. Her mother is totally evil because she would not let Alexa stay in the family home. She has some other family but they are all jerks because they won’t help her. Alexa’s friend Melanie is the absolute best pers...

Mrs. Maxwell is a 75-year-old patient with neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s disease. She lives with her son and his wife and generally does very well with her day-to-day activities. The family understand the importance of routine and Mrs. Maxwell maintains a regular schedule of activities including her meals, timed toileting, and recreational activities. Which of the following behaviors should prompt an immediate depression screening for Mrs. Maxwell? A. An acute change ...

M.T. is a 39-year-old female being seen by the PMHNP for a major depressive disorder. She is being managed with SNRI therapy in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy, but is having difficulty achieving remission. Her husband is becoming very frustrated. He wants to be supportive, but does not understand why she is so depressed. Two years ago she had an episode of depression when her sister died in an accident, but after 6 month of treatment she seemed to return to normal. Her husband ...

A PMHNP student is reviewing his notes from his clinical experience over the past week to prepare his first required case presentation on a patient suffering a major depressive episode. Which of the following patients best represents the DSM-V criteria for major depressive episode? A. A 27-year-old female with a one-month history of social withdrawal, anorexia, hypersomnia, unprovoked outbursts of anger, and a strong family history of endogenous depression B. A 41-year-old male wi...