Review Question - QID 109783

A 30-year-old man presents to his primary care doctor for a 2-month follow-up appointment. He had recently separated from his male partner of 10 years and has been struggling to maintain his weight and the rigors of work in a new start-up company. At his initial visit, he was prescribed escitalopram. Two weeks later, the patient was instructed to continue taking the medication despite feeling more depressed. After expressing increased desire to carry out suicidal thoughts, he was hospitalized for a brief course. During this visit, he is feeling much better, but he has an elective inguinal hernia repair scheduled for the end of the week. "The surgeon said to not take anything before the surgery. Besides, I'm feeling better and don't feel like taking escitalopram every day." His temperature is 98.6°F (37°C), blood pressure is 118/74 mmHg, pulse is 82/min, and respirations are 12/min. Which of the following is the most appropriate treatment for this patient?