Discussion Questions:
1. UndefinedResearch screening tools for depression and anxiety.
Choose one screening tool for depression and one screening tool for anxiety that you feel are
appropriate to screen KB.
Explain w
...
Discussion Questions:
1. UndefinedResearch screening tools for depression and anxiety.
Choose one screening tool for depression and one screening tool for anxiety that you feel are
appropriate to screen KB.
Explain why you chose that particular tool for KB. Score KB based on the information provided (not all
data may be provided). Include what questions could be scored, and your chosen score. Assume that
any question topics not mentioned are not a concern at this time.
The history and physical exam findings for KB are suggestive of both generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
as well as depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health Statistics website, major
depression effects over 17 million adults in the US, and over 19% of the adult population suffers from
some form of anxiety (2018). For this patient, I would utilize the PHQ-9 tool to screen for depression, and
the GAD-7 tool to screen for anxiety.
The PHQ-9 is a screening tool used to determine presence and severity of depression in patients and is
generally utilized for patients expressing symptoms or complaints regularly associated with depression:
fatigue, loss of energy, loss of interest, feelings of hopelessness or guilt, insomnia, difficulty
concentrating, decreased appetite, weight loss, and irritability (Goroll & Mulley, 2014). This
questionnaire consists of nine items and it considered to be indicative of depression with a resultant
score of 10 or greater (Levis, Benedetti, & Thombs, 2019). I chose the PHQ-9 tool because of the ease
with which it can be used in the clinical setting, as well as its high degree of sensitivity and specificity for
identifying depressive disorder, especially in older adults. The tool askes a series of questions and has
the patient rate each question from 0-3 based on how often they have experienced the corresponding
symptoms over the previous two weeks. The tool is useful not only for identifying depression, but also
for grading the degree of depression from minimal to severe based upon individual score (Levis et al.,
2019).
Based upon KB’s presenting symptoms and history, her PHQ-9 may appear as follows:
Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
Not at all sure 0 Several days 1 Over half the days 2 Nearly every day 3
Little interest or pleasure in doing things? 2
Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless? 2
Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much? 2
Feeling tired or having little energy? 2
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