17 Aug NP responsibility in treating patients with depressive mood disorders begin with SSRI or SNRI and any patients experiencing suicidal ideatio

Please reply to discussion below using apa 7th edition 3 references dated less than 4 years and 1 interactive question

The PHQ-9 is a 9 question questionnaire that is used to screen patients for depression. Answers to each question are in numeric form which are added together and the total score ranges from minimal to severe, with treatment recommendations for each scoring zone (National HIV curriculum, 2022). FNP responsibility in treating patients with depressive mood disorders begin with SSRI or SNRI and any patients experiencing suicidal ideation or is a high-safety risk should be referred to a mental health provider (Bateman, 2020). I like the method my clinical preceptor uses. She will start SSRI/SNRIs and also refer to psych if they score higher on the questionnaire or exhibit symptoms of being down or state their hurdles in life. She does tell them that she is not a mental health specialist but can provide meds until they can be seen and explains that they do take up to 6 weeks to be fully effective as well as informing them of the possibility of worsening symptoms early on. Also, she will only prescribe one month at a time, as she wants to follow up and evaluate them. The USPSTF grades depression screening in adults a “B”, though there is no set screening frequency other than as needed (U.S. Preventive Task Services Task Force, 2016). Again, in my future practice I will recommend all new patients be screened initially, existing patient screened annually, newly treated patients screened every 3 months until stable, and of course symptomatic patients be screened prn. I think it’s important to screen people regardless of their chief complaint, because depression takes many forms and does not always present as sadness, which I think a lot of the general public may think is what depression is. Screening myself on this questionnaire puts me at a higher number which I think is all due to stress, but I feelings of sadness or self-harm. My point being that if a patient who denies depression (because they don’t have sadness) is screened, they may realize that the other feelings they experience are actually linked to depression and can be managed with meds such as SSRIs or SNRIs.

Bateman, A. (2020). Psychosocial health concerns for women. In Schadewald, D., Pritham, U., Youngkin, E., Davis, M., Juve, C. Women’s Health: A Primary Care Clinical Guide (5th ed, pp774-800). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.

National HIV Curriculum. (2022). Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9). https://www.hiv.uw.edu/page/mental-health-screening/phq-9

U.S. Preventive Task Services Task Force. (2016). Depression in adults: Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/usps…