A client has been admitted with a diagnosis of atypical depression. In planning interventions, the nurse would expect to consider the characteristic symptom of:

Question

1. Seasonal episodes
2. Leaden paralysis
3. Psychomotor agitation
4. Increased depression in the morning

Answer 1

ANS: 2
Behavioral characteristics of atypical depression include hypersomnia, weight gain, and the feel-ing that one's limbs are so heavy they cannot be lifted or moved. Option 1: Seasonal mood changes are characteristic of seasonal affective disorder. Options 2 and 4: Psychomotor agitation and depression that is greater in the morning than in the evening are characteristics more likely to be observed in clients with melancholic depression.