A 27-year-old man is assessed in the emergency department short-stay unit with three weeks of low mood, waking…

Question

A 27-year-old man is assessed in the emergency department short-stay unit with three weeks of low mood, waking at 4 am and hopelessness. He has had two similar episodes since his early twenties, each lasting several months. He has no medical history and takes no medication. Suicide risk has been assessed carefully and he has no thoughts of self-harm. His mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital at 30 and, in his words, was never quite the same afterwards. The registrar plans to write a scri…

Accepted Answer

Whether he has had days without needing sleep

Answer

Whether any relative has died by suicide

Answer

Whether he drinks more than four standard drinks daily

Answer

Whether he has recently started any new medication

Answer

Whether his thyroid function has been tested

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