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Mental Health Nursing - Assessing Mental Health
Mental health assessments typically include a physical exam, to rule out physical ailments. This may involve blood work, urine tests or brain scans.
Psychologists employ a variety of instruments to evaluate mental health. These tools can be anything from pencil and paper test forms, to in-depth interviews or self-completed questionnaires for postal mail.
Mood and affect
The doctor will first be aware of the patient's mood and affect. They define a patient's general emotional state. This could be anything from sadness to happiness or anger and irritability. Affect can be assessed by observing facial expressions and overall demeanour as well as the reaction to external or internal stimuli (e.g. smiling at the joke or crying over the loss of a loved one).
Affect is a short-term emotion, whereas mood is a longer-lasting emotional state. It is usually described as euthymic, or normal, or dysphoric (meaning depression). Psychologists should be cautious to avoid confusion between the two terms, as they are defined differently and can be affected by a variety of factors.
While the MSE is a helpful clinical tool but it isn't always easy to interpret based on a subjective patient reports. Asking patients about their feelings during the past few weeks is more effective than relying solely on the observations of a doctor. Recent research showed that the assessment instruments differed in their capacity to detect a substantial part of symptoms. This included those that were classified under the same disorder. This can be due to the different emphasis placed on emotional, cognitive or physical symptoms, as along with differences in duration and frequency of reporting symptoms.
It is possible that the MSE relies on self-report, which may be prone to bias. For instance, a person who reports anxiety and a headache will likely report an lower score than someone who has only a headache. Furthermore there is the tendency for patients to downplay negative emotions and overestimate the severity of positive feelings.
The mood and the affect of a person can have a direct impact on the content of thought. This can affect decision-making, interpersonal behavior, and physical function. They can be affected by stress, fatigue and social interactions. A positive mood can increase creativity and mental strength. A mood that is negative can cause confusion and lower concentration. A thorough and meticulous mental health assessment must be able to consider both the patient's mood and affect and the other factors.
Thought content
The ability to determine how a patient thinks is one the most important aspects of a mental health examination. Assessment of the thought process and its content. The thought process is the coherence, logic, and organization of a patient’s thoughts. Normal thought processes are rational and focused on goals. In a variety of mental health conditions however, thought processing can be altered. Examples include delusions, hallucinations and loose associations.
A mental health assessment also assesses the quality of insight and judgement. Insight is the ability to identify that there is a problem, and judgement is the ability to make an informed decision based on information. Both are affected by various mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression. A patient with impaired insight or judgment is more prone to harm themselves or others. For instance if they are in danger of destroying their home and they have a good sense of judgement, it would be wise for that they should leave the premises immediately. A patient with impaired judgment might suggest that they remain in the building to try to get rid of the flame.
The content of a patient's thoughts includes their subject matter, themes, and beliefs. Examiners will assess the clarity, relatedness and the content of the patient's thoughts. They will also note tangential thoughts or those that are merely circumstantial, and in the event that the patient's thoughts diverge (digressions off from the main topic of the conversation). They will also make comments on the pace at which a person is thinking, such as if they seem fast or slower.
It is also crucial to determine if the patient's mood is similar to their environment. For instance, a patient who is depressed might hear voices that sound hostile and frightening, whereas someone suffering from schizophrenia could be able to imagine the sound of a calm and soothing voice. Ask the patient if they have any suicidal or homicidal ideas. These are rare but can be life-threatening and should be considered in every mental health evaluation.
Watching
A nurse's observation skills play an important role in an assessment of mental health. They will conduct a thorough examination of appearance, behaviour and any strange beliefs or perceptions (such as hallucinations or delusions) mood, as well as aspects of cognition (including attention, orientation memory, and orientation). The nursing mental status exam also involves the observation of motility. This includes any physical movement, such as eating, drinking or brushing teeth.
The observation component of the mental health exam is an essential element of determining if a patient may pose an imminent risk to themselves or others. This is done by assessing whether or not the patient appears to be moving deliberately in a way which suggests they are in danger of harming themself or someone else.
In addition, a detailed assessment of the content of thoughts is conducted by keeping track of the patient throughout the interview and identifying their preoccupations. It is crucial to determine if a patient has any suicidal or violent thoughts and to determine if they are experiencing thoughts of delusion.
Global assessment of functioning (GAF) which is an assessment of functioning in numerical form, ranging from 0 to 100, evaluates the ability of an individual to perform in everyday life along with their capacity for dealing with stressors. The GAF is a vital element of the mental state assessment and aids in making the treatment decisions.
It is crucial to be aware of the fact that observing a patient's behaviour can cause anxiety and it is important that the procedure is carried out in a way that does not provoke the patient and doesn't feel intrusive. It is also crucial that the patient is aware of the reason for the observation and the amount of time it will last.
Nursing observation is an important skill and it must be a key part of the nursing process. However, it must be remembered that patients may not agree with the degree of observation and if they are unable to come to an agreement with staff then they should have access to an advocate service that will represent their needs and help their discussions on their care. This should be an integral element of the local observation policy and practice, with the participation of user groups to ensure that patients are involved in the creation of written documents and staff training to support this aspect of clinical governance.
Questioning
Many people are reluctant to talk about their mental health issues, but their family members are often able to detect if something is not right. They can also help the person take steps to obtain an assessment. These assessments be conducted on a variety of subjects, including mood, appearance and thought process. In addition to these tests, a mental health professional will also ask the person questions about their personal life, such as what's happened recently and what their feelings have been like.
The test also includes a cognitive assessment, which focuses on the ability of the individual to think clearly and recall information. The person may be required to complete basic tasks such as focussing on a list or objects, memorizing lists or completing math problems. The test will also test the person's ability to make good decisions and make good judgments. The test also assesses the patient's insight and level of understanding about their condition and its effects on them.
Another important component of an assessment of mental health is the patient's attitude towards the world, himself and his illness. The tone of voice, facial expression, and body expressions of a patient could convey anger, depression or a sense of powerlessness. It is also important to know whether the patient appears to be seeking help or resigned to living with their illness.
In more serious situations the mental health assessment may 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). mouse click the next web page is important to note the presence of these conditions because they can be extremely risky and even life-threatening.
In general, a mental health assessment should be holistic and examine the person's relationship to their social environment. A health professional may use photographs, music, art or any other electronic assessment tool to better understand the individual. They should also talk about the difficulties that prompted the person to seek help, and reassure that there is nothing wrong with seeking out an expert in mental health.