Talking with the patient

How to explain depression

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.

MD / DOPANursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Many people with depression feel ashamed or blame themselves. Explaining it as a common, treatable condition opens the door to care.

Step by step

  1. Listen first

    Let the patient describe how they feel and reflect it back to them. [1]

  2. Name it clearly

    Depression is a common medical condition that affects mood, sleep, energy and thinking. It is not a weakness. [2]

  3. Ask about safety

    Ask directly about thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Asking does not put the idea in their head. [1]

  4. Describe treatment options

    Talk therapy, medicine or both. Exercise, sleep and time with others also help. [1]

  5. Set expectations

    Improvement takes weeks, not days. Most people get better with treatment. [3]

  6. Give a crisis plan

    Share the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and say when to seek urgent help. [1]

  7. Plan follow-up

    Set a follow-up visit and use teach-back to check the plan. [2]

Common errors

Practice it in VMS

In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

VMS cases that train this skill

8 VMS cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
  2. AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back)
  3. Open RN, Nursing Pharmacology 2e (CC BY 4.0)

Facts and steps follow AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs); AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.