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Mental Health Nursing - Assessing Mental Health
A physical examination is typically included in mental health assessments to rule out any physical issues. This may include blood tests, urine tests or brain scans.
Psychologists also use a wide variety of tools to assess psychiatrist mental Health assessment health. These tools can vary from pencil and paper test forms to in depth interviews or self-completed questionnaires via mail.
Affect and mood
Mood and affect are the most significant elements of the mental state examination (MSE) and are the first things to be observed by a doctor. They describe a patient's general emotional state. This could vary from joy to sadness or irritability and anger. The effect can be analyzed by facial expressions, overall attitude and response to external or internal stimuli. You can express your feelings by laughing at an absurd joke, or crying when you lose a beloved one.
Affect is a feeling that is temporary, while mood is a long-lasting emotion. It is often described as euthymic (normal) or dysphoric, which translates to depressed. Psychiatric professionals should be careful to avoid confusion between the terms, as they are different in their definition and can be affected by a variety of factors.
The MSE is a helpful tool for clinical diagnosis however it is difficult to interpret from an individual patient's report. It is therefore beneficial to ask patients how they have felt over the past few weeks, as opposed to relying solely on the observations of doctors. Recent research revealed that assessment instruments differed in their capacity to capture a significant part of symptoms. This included those that were grouped under the same disorder. This could be due the different emphasis placed on cognitive, emotional or physical symptoms as well as differences in the duration and frequency of reporting symptom reports.
It is possible that the MSE is based solely on self-reporting, which can be biased. For instance, a patient who describes experiencing a headache and anxiety will likely report less than a patient who reports only an occasional headache. Additionally there is an inclination for patients to minimize negative emotions and underestimate the severity of positive ones.
The mood and the affect of a person can have a direct influence on thought content. This can impact the way people make decisions, their interpersonal behavior and physical functioning. They can be affected by stress, fatigue, social interactions, world events, hormones and the weather. A positive mood can enhance creativity and mental power. A negative mood can cause confusion and decrease concentration. A thorough and careful mental health assessment should be able to consider the patient's mood as well as affect as well as the underlying factors.
Thought content
One of the most crucial elements of a mental status exam is assessing how a patient thinks. Assessment of thought process and content. Thought process refers to the logic, organization and coherence of a patient's thought processes. Normal thought processes are logical and focused on goals. Thought processing can be distorted when a person suffers from mental health issues. Examples include delusions, hallucinations and loose associations.
Insight and judgement are evaluated during a mental status test. Insight is the ability to identify problems. Judgment is the capability to make a well-considered choice after receiving information. Both can be impaired by various mental health conditions like depression and schizophrenia. Patients with impaired insight or judgment is more prone to harm themselves or others. If they are in danger, their rational judgement would tell to leave the home immediately. However, a patient with impaired judgment may suggest staying in the building and trying to put out the fire.
Thought content is the topics, subject matter, and beliefs that a patient has. Typically, examiners discuss the clarity, relatedness and the content of a patient's thoughts. They will be able to identify tangential ideas or circumstantial ones, as well as in the event that the patient's thoughts diverge (digressions away from the subject of the conversation). They will also make comments on the pace at which a person is thinking, such as if they seem to be more or less fast.
Other important areas to consider are whether the patient's thoughts are congruent or incongruent with their environment. For instance, a patient who is depressed might hear voices that sound angry and threatening, while those suffering from schizophrenia may be able to imagine the sound of a calm and soothing voice. Ask the patient if they are experiencing any suicidal or homicidal thoughts. Although these are rare however, they can be life threatening and should be considered in every mental health evaluation.
Observation
Nurses' observation skills are crucial in the mental health assessment. They include a careful examination of behavior, appearance, any unusual beliefs or perceptions (such delusions or hallucinations), mood, and cognition (including memory, attention and orientation). The nursing private mental health assessment state exam also involves monitoring the movement. This includes any physical movement like eating, drinking and brushing your teeth.
The observation component of the mental status exam is an essential element of determining if the patient could pose an imminent risk to themselves or others. This is accomplished by determining whether the patient is moving deliberately in a way that suggests they are in danger of harming themself or someone else.
In addition, a detailed assessment of the content of thoughts is conducted by observing the patient throughout the interview and identifying their main concerns. It is essential to determine whether the patient has suicidal, homicidal or delusional thoughts.
Global assessment of functioning (GAF) is an assessment of functioning in numerical form, ranging from 0 to 100, combines the ability of an individual to function in daily life and their capability of coping with stressors. The GAF is a vital element of the mental state examination and helps to guide the treatment decisions.
It is crucial to realize that observing the behaviour of a patient may cause distress. It is therefore important to conduct the procedure in a way that does not cause discomfort or make the patient feel uncomfortable. It is also essential that the patient is aware of the reason for the observation as well as the length of time it will last.
Nursing observation is a crucial skill that must be at the heart of any nursing program. However, it should be remembered that patients may be dissatisfied with the quality of observation and if they are unable to reach an agreement with staff, then they should be able to access an advocate service that can represent their interests and assist patients in any discussions about their care. This should be a component of the local policy and practice, with the involvement and support of groups of users.
Questioning
Many people are hesitant to discuss their mental health issues, but family members can usually tell when something is amiss. They can also help the person to take an assessment. These assessments are broad and cover a wide range of subjects, including mood, appearance as well as thought process, memory and more. A mental health professional could also ask questions regarding the person's personal life. They will ask them what they feel and what has happened recently.
The assessment also includes a cognitive test that focuses on the person's ability to think clearly and remember information. The test subject may ask to complete a few basic tasks, such as focusing their attention on an alphabet of words or objects and recollecting lists of basic information or solving math problems. The test can also check the person's ability to make sound decisions and make good judgments. The test also evaluates the patient's knowledge and level of understanding about the illness and its effects on them.
The patient's attitude towards others, himself and the illness is an important aspect of a mental assessment. The patient's voice, facial expression and body language can convey hostility, anger depression or a feeling of powerlessness. It is crucial to determine whether the patient seems to be seeking help or accepting their situation.
In more serious situations, a mental health assessment could include a thorough examination of the patient's thoughts that may include hallucinations (false sensory perceptions without real stimuli) or illusions (misperceptions of real stimuli). These conditions can be harmful and even deadly.
A mental health assessment must be holistic and examine the person's relationship with their environment. A health professional may employ photographs, music, art or a range of assessment tools that are electronic to help understand the person and their unique view of the world around them. They should also speak to the person about the issues that led them to seek help and assure them that there is nothing wrong with visiting an expert in mental health.