Depression — MCQs

A 38-year-old woman presents to her primary care physician for complaints of insomnia. She states that for the last 8 months, she has had difficulty falling asleep. Additionally, she awakens in the middle of the night or early morning and cannot fall back to sleep. When further questioned, she reports decreased appetite with a 12-lb. weight loss in the last 6 months. She was recently demoted at her work as a baker due to trouble focusing and coordinating orders and excess fatigue. She feels she is to blame for her family's current financial status given her demotion. She is given a prescription for fluoxetine at this visit with follow-up 2 weeks later. At the follow-up visit, she reports no improvement in her symptoms despite taking her medication consistently. What is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 57-year-old man comes to the physician because of a 3-month history of fatigue, difficulty swallowing, and weight loss. He has smoked 1 pack of cigarettes daily for 30 years. He is 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) tall, and weighs 54 kg (120 lb); BMI is 18 kg/m2. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy shows an exophytic tumor at the gastroesophageal junction. The patient is diagnosed with advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma. Palliative treatment is begun. Two months later, he complains of difficulty sleeping. His husband says that the patient does not get out of bed most days and has lost interest in seeing his friends. Mental status examination shows a blunted affect, slowed speech, and poor concentration. This patient is at increased risk of developing which of the following findings on polysomnography?

A 16-year-old boy comes to the physician for the evaluation of fatigue over the past month. He reports that his energy levels are low and that he spends most of his time in his room. He also states that he is not in the mood for meeting friends. He used to enjoy playing soccer and going to the shooting range with his father, but recently stopped showing interest in these activities. He has been having difficulties at school due to concentration problems. His appetite is low. He has problems falling asleep. He states that he has thought about ending his life, but he has no specific plan. He lives with his parents, who frequently fight due to financial problems. He does not smoke. He drinks 2–3 cans of beer on the weekends. He does not use illicit drugs. He takes no medications. His vital signs are within normal limits. On mental status examination, he is oriented to person, place, and time. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. In addition to the administration of an appropriate medication, which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 40-year-old woman comes to the therapist for weekly psychotherapy. She was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety after her divorce 1 year ago. During last week's appointment, she spoke about her ex-husband's timidity and lack of advancement at work; despite her urging, he never asked for a raise. Today, when the therapist asks how she is doing, she replies, “If there's something you want to know, have the courage to ask me! I have no respect for a man who won't speak his mind!” The patient's behavior can be best described as an instance of which of the following?

A 45-year-old man is brought to the physician by his wife because of difficulty sleeping and poor appetite for the past 4 weeks. During this period, he also has had persistent sadness and difficulty concentrating on tasks, because of which he has been reprimanded at work for poor performance. Over the past 3 years, he has often had such phases, with a maximum symptom-free gap of one month between each of them. His behavior is causing a strain in his relationships with his wife and children. His mother died 4 months ago from breast cancer. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. Mental status examination shows a depressed mood and constricted affect. What is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?

A 32-year-old man comes to the physician because of generalized fatigue for the past 4 months. He also has difficulty sleeping and concentrating. He says he does not enjoy his hobbies anymore and has stopped attending family events. Mental status examination shows psychomotor retardation and a flat affect along with some evidence of suicidal ideation. His speech is slow in rate and monotone in rhythm. Treatment with fluoxetine is initiated. One month later, he reports significant improvement in his motivation and mood but also delayed ejaculation and occasional anorgasmia. The physician decides to replace his current medication with another agent. It is most appropriate to switch the patient to which of the following drugs?

A 24-year-old woman presents with a 3-month history of worsening insomnia and anxiety. She says that she has an important college exam in the next few weeks for which she has to put in many hours of work each day. Despite the urgency of her circumstances, she states that she is unable to focus and concentrate, is anxious, irritable and has lost interest in almost all activities. She also says that she has trouble falling asleep and wakes up several times during the night. She claims that this state of affairs has severely hampered her productivity and is a major problem for her, and she feels tired and fatigued all day. She denies hearing voices, abnormal thoughts, or any other psychotic symptoms. The patient asks if there is some form of therapy that can help her sleep better so that she can function more effectively during the day. She claims that the other symptoms of not enjoying anything, irritability, and anxiety are things that she can learn to handle. Which of the following approaches is most likely to address the patients concerns most effectively?

A 27-year-old woman visits a psychiatrist expressing her feelings of sadness which are present on most days of the week. She says that she has been feeling this way for about 2 to 3 years. During her first pregnancy 3 years ago, the fetus died in utero, and the pregnancy was terminated at 21 weeks. Ever since then, she hasn’t been able to sleep well at night and has difficulty concentrating on her tasks most of the time. However, for the past month, she has found it more difficult to cope. She says she has no will to have another child as she still feels guilty and responsible for the previous pregnancy. Over the past few days, she has completely lost her appetite and only eats once or twice a day. She doesn’t recall a single day in the last 3 years where she has not felt this way. The patient denies any past or current smoking, alcohol, or recreational drug use. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?

A previously healthy 16-year-old boy is brought to the physician by his parents for evaluation because of extreme irritability, fatigue, and loss of appetite for 3 weeks. Five months ago, his grandfather, whom he was very close to, passed away from chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He used to enjoy playing soccer but quit his soccer team last week. When he comes home from school he goes straight to bed and sleeps for 11–12 hours each night. He previously had good grades, but his teachers report that he has been disrespectful and distracted in class and failed an exam last week. He tried alcohol twice at a party last year and he has never smoked cigarettes. Vital signs are within normal limits. On mental status examination, he avoids making eye contact but cooperates with the exam. His affect is limited and he describes an irritable mood. He is easily distracted and has a difficult time focusing for an extended conversation. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 75-year-old woman presents with a sudden onset of weakness and difficulty walking. She also complains of nausea and palpitations. She was working in her garden about an hour ago when her problems started. The patient says she is feeling warm even though the emergency room is air-conditioned. Past medical history is significant for major depressive disorder (MDD), diagnosed 5 years ago, hypertension, and osteoporosis. Current medications are aspirin, lisinopril, alendronate, calcium, venlafaxine, and a vitamin D supplement. Her pulse is 110/min, respiratory rate is 22/min, and blood pressure is 160/100 mm Hg. Physical examination is unremarkable. A noncontrast CT scan of the head, electrocardiogram (ECG), and routine laboratory tests are all normal. Which of the following most likely accounts for this patient's condition?