Depression: ABFM practice questions

9 board-style questions on depression in the PulseMD family medicine question bank, written against current guidelines with the reference cited on each question. Two free samples below; the full set with answers, explanations, and spaced review is free to start.

Sample question 1

A 42-year-old woman presents with 4 weeks of persistent sadness, anhedonia, fatigue, poor concentration, insomnia, and a 10-pound weight loss. She reports feeling worthless and has passive thoughts of death but denies a specific plan or intent. Her PHQ-9 score is 18 (moderately severe). She has no prior psychiatric history and takes no medications. What is the most appropriate initial treatment plan?

1. Refer to psychiatry before initiating any treatment
2. Prescribe alprazolam for anxiety and insomnia and reassess in 1 month
3. Start fluoxetine 60 mg daily for faster response
4. Start sertraline 50 mg daily, provide safety planning, and schedule follow-up in 2 weeks

Sample question 2

A 28-year-old woman has been successfully treated for major depressive disorder with escitalopram 10 mg daily. She has been in full remission for 4 months (PHQ-9 score of 3). This is her first depressive episode. She asks when she can stop the medication. What is the most appropriate counseling?

1. Continue for a total of 4-9 months of treatment after achieving remission, then consider gradual taper
2. She can stop abruptly since escitalopram has no discontinuation syndrome
3. She should remain on the medication indefinitely
4. She can taper off now since she has been in remission for over 3 months

Create a free PulseMD account to answer these, see the explanations, and practice five minutes a day.

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