Medical Pharmacology: Depression and Antidepressant Medication

Which one(s) of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
1. Stress has been implicated in the etiology of depression.
2. Viral infections have been implicated in the etiology of depression
3. Both
4. Neither
Of the following medical conditions, which one/ones may be associated with depressive syndromes?
1. Parkinson's disease
2. Asthma
3. Diabetes
4. Stroke
5. All the above
Bipolar disorder, associated with manic and depressive episodes, is considered one of the most heritable of psychiatric illnesses.
1. True
2. False
Based on medical imaging analysis, which one of the following brain regions is most likely to exhibit a small reduction in size in depressed patients?
1. Amygdala
2. Hippocampus
3. Nucleus accumbens
4. Prefrontal cortex
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens or subgenual area 25 has been associated with mood elevation in both normal and depressed individuals.
1. True
2. False
Lithium, effective in management of bipolar disorder, is associated with which one/ ones of the following biochemical effects?
1. Inhibition of magnesium-dependent enzymes.
2. Activation of protein kinase C by means of influencing phosphoinositide signaling.
3. Both
4. Neither
Chronic pain is a relatively frequent somatic manifestation of depression.
1. True
2. False
The patient's learning that is stroke is been suffered or that cancer has been diagnosed, to give two examples, is almost always followed by reactive depression, frequently with concurrent presentation of anxiety.
1. True
2. False
Considering emotional reactions in degenerative neurological disease, Parkinson's diseaseis associated with a depressive reaction in approximately this percentage of patients.
1. 5%
2. 10%
3. 25%
4. 40%
5. 65%
Which one/ones of the following statements is/are correct?
1. In patients with Parkinson's disease or with Lewy-body disease, administration of the drug L-dopa may induce depression in some patients.
2. Even prior to movement disorder and dementia becoming noticeable, patients with Huntington's chorea will often exhibit depression..
3. In later stages of Alzheimer's disease, the overt signs of depression become especially prominent and difficult to manage.
4. In later stages of Alzheimer's disease, the overt signs of depression become especially prominent and difficult to manage.
5. A & B
6. A & B
7. A & B & C
Choose the correct statement/statements from the following:
1. First presentations of either depression or mania, if untreated, persist for about six months, with substantial variation in duration.
2. Duration of first presentation of either depression or mania may be reduced by about 50% if treated.
3. Most attacks of bipolar disease tend to subside in a few months; however, many patients, bipolar patients more so than unipolar patients, may remain chronically ill for long periods.
4. A & B
5. A & C
6. A & B & C
Based on neural imaging of selected brain regions implicated in pathogenesis of depression, among the most consistent finding is hypometabolism in the left frontal cortex.
1. True
2. False
Which one of the following drugs might make it particularly useful in treatment of depressions that are associated with overeating and hypersomnia, especially in male patients?
1. Sertraline (Zoloft)
2. Fluoxetine (Prozac)
3. Escitalopram (Lexapro)
4. Venlafaxine (Effexor)
Which of the following antidepressant medications is likely most sedating?
1. Escitalopram (Lexapro)
2. Paroxetine (Paxil)
3. Fluoxetine (Prozac)
4. Amitriptyline (Elavil)
5. None of the above drugs are likely sedating
If there is a need to switch a patient from a serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)-type drug to an MAO (monoamine oxidase) inhibitor, a drug-free interval of about 1 to 2 weeks should be followed.
1. True
2. False
Antiepileptic medications have been used to supplement antidepressant drugs with the idea that some additional benefit may be obtained with the antiepileptic medication functioning as a "mood stabilizer."
1. True
2. False
In management of depression, pharmacological treatment, if successful, probably should be continued for about 6 to 9 months; furthermore, premature stoppage of medication is likely a frequent source of relapse.
1. True
2. False