Mental Health Nursing - Assessing Mental Health
A physical examination is typically included in mental health assessments to rule out physical issues. These can include urine tests, blood tests tests or even brain scans.
Psychologists also use a wide variety of tools to assess mental health. These tools vary from pencil and paper test forms to in depth interviews or self-completed questionnaires for postal mail.
Affect and mood
The affect and mood are the most crucial components of the mental health examination (MSE) and are the first thing to be viewed by the medical professional. They describe the patient's general emotional tone that can range from joy to sadness or irritability to anger. The patient's mood can be measured by facial expressions, overall attitude and response to external or internal stimuli. You can express your feelings by laughing at the joke or crying when you lose a loved one.
Affect is an emotion that is only temporary, whereas mood is a state of constant emotion. It is usually described as being either euthymic (normal) or dysphoric, which means depressed. However, psychiatrists must be careful not to confuse the terms because they have different definitions and are affected by a variety of factors.
While the MSE is a helpful tool for clinical use but it can be difficult to interpret based upon subjective patient reports. It is therefore beneficial to inquire about how patients have been feeling over the last few weeks, as opposed to using only the observation of a physician. A recent study found that a large proportion of symptoms, even those that fall under the same disorder category, differ between assessment tools. This could be due the differing emphasis on cognitive, emotional or physical symptoms as well as differences in time periods and frequency of reporting symptom reports.
It is possible that the MSE relies on self-report, which may be prone to bias. A patient who reports both anxiety and headache is likely to get a lower score compared to a patient reporting only headache. Patients tend to minimize negative emotions while exaggerating positive ones.
Affect and mood can have an impact on the thought content. This could affect the way we make decisions, our interpersonal behavior, and physical functioning. They are affected by fatigue, stress and social interactions. A positive mood can boost creativity and mental energy. Conversely, a negative mood can affect concentration and cause confusion. Therefore, a thorough and thorough mental health assessment is required to take into account the patient's mood and emotional state as well as their underlying factors.
Thought content
The ability to determine how a patient thinks is one the most important aspects of a mental health examination. Assessment of thoughts and their content. The thought process is the coherence, logic, and organization of the patient's thoughts. A normal thought processes is goal directed and logical. Thought processing can be altered when a person suffers from mental health issues. Examples include hallucinations, delusions and loose associations.
A mental state examination also evaluates insight and judgement. Insight is the ability to recognize the presence of a problem, while judgement is the ability to make an informed decision when presented with information. Both are affected by several mental health conditions, like schizophrenia and depression. If a patient is impaired in judgment or insight is at greater risk of harming themselves or others. For instance if they are at risk of destroying their home and they have a good sense of judgement, it would be wise for them to leave the building immediately. A patient with impaired judgement may suggest that they stay in the building to try and put out the flame.
The contents of a patient's mind include the subject matter, themes, and beliefs. Examiners generally comment on the clarity, connection and quality of a patient's thought. They will note tangential thoughts or circumstantial ones, as well as when a patient is digressing (digressions away from the subject of the conversation). They will also make comments on the pace of a person's thoughts, including whether they appear fast or slow.
It is also important to determine if the patient's mood is similar to the environment in which they live. For example, a patient who is depressed may hear voices that are aggressive and threatening, whereas someone suffering from schizophrenia could experience a hallucination of an ethereal and calm voice. Ask the patient if they have any suicidal or homicidal thoughts. They are not common, but they can be life-threatening and should be taken into account in every mental health assessment.
Watching
The ability of nurses to observe is essential in the mental assessment. They will conduct a thorough examination of behavior, appearance, any unusual beliefs and perceptions (such as hallucinations or delusions) mood, and aspects of cognition (including attention to the environment, orientation memory). The mental status exam for nurses also involves the observation of the movement. This includes any physical movement, like eating, drinking or brushing teeth.
The Observation portion of the mental state examination is crucial in determining if a patient poses a risk to them or others. This is accomplished by determining whether or not the patient is moving in a way which suggests they may be threatening to harm themselves or anyone else.
Additionally, a thorough assessment of thought content is done by observing the patient throughout the interview and determining their preoccupations. It is crucial to determine if a patient is suffering from suicidal or homicidal thoughts and to determine if they're having delusions.
Global assessment of functioning (GAF), an assessment of functioning in numerical form, ranging from 0 to 100, combines the ability of a person to function in daily life along with their capacity for dealing with stressors. The GAF is a crucial component of the mental state examination and aids in making treatment decisions.
It is important to be aware that observing the behavior of a patient can cause anxiety and it is important that the process is conducted in a manner that does not provoke the patient and doesn't be uncomfortable for them. It is also essential that the patient is fully aware of the reason for the observation and the amount of time it will take.
Nursing great site is an important skill and it must be an integral element of the nursing process. It is essential to remember that patients may disagree about the extent of observation. If they cannot reach an agreement with the staff, they should be able to use an advocate service to represent their interests and assist in any discussions regarding their treatment. This should be an integral element of the local observation policy and practice, with the involvement of user groups, to ensure that patients are involved in the creation of written information and staff training to support this aspect of clinical governance.
Questioning
A lot of people are hesitant to talk about their mental health issues, but their family members can often discern when something isn't right. They can also encourage the person to get an assessment. These assessments can be very broad and cover a variety of subjects, such as mood, appearance, memory, thought process and many more. A mental health professional could also inquire about the person's private life. They will ask them what they have been feeling and what's happened in the last few days.
The test also includes a cognitive assessment that is focused on the ability of the individual to think clearly and retain information. The test subject may ask to complete basic tasks, like focusing their attention on the list of objects or words as well as storing lists and lists for solving math problems. The test may also test the ability of the individual to make informed decisions and use judgment. The test determines a person's insight which is their understanding of their condition and how it affects them.
Another vital aspect of the mental health assessment is the person's attitude towards others, himself and his illness. The patient's voice, facial expression and body language can indicate anger, hostility depression or a feeling of insecurity. It is crucial to determine whether the patient appears be asking for help or accepting their situation.
In more serious situations an assessment of mental health might include an examination of the patient's thoughts that may include hallucinations (false sensory perceptions that do not correspond to real stimuli) or illusions (misperceptions of real stimuli). It is crucial to recognize the presence of these disorders because they can be extremely hazardous and even life-threatening.
In general the mental health assessment should be holistic and examine the person's interactions with their social world. A health professional may employ images, music, art or a variety of assessment tools that are electronic to better understand the person and their unique perspective on the world around them. They should also discuss the issues that led to the person to seek help, and assure them that there is nothing wrong in seeing an expert in mental health.