Mental Health Nursing - Assessing Mental Health
Mental health assessments usually involve a physical examination, to rule out physical conditions. This can include urine tests, blood tests tests or even brain scans.
Psychologists employ a variety of tools for assessing mental health. These tools range from paper and pencil test forms to in depth interviews or self-completed postal questionnaires.
Affect and mood
The doctor will first be aware of the patient's mood and emotional state. They are the general emotional state, which can range from happiness to sadness, or even irritability to anger. Affect can be assessed by looking at facial expressions and demeanour as well as the reactivity to internal or external stimuli (e.g. You can express your emotions by smirking at a joke, or crying when you lose a beloved one.
Affect is a feeling that lasts only a few minutes while mood is a more sustained emotional state. It is usually described as euthymic, dysphoric, or normal (meaning depression). However, psychiatric professionals must be careful not to misunderstand the terms since they have different definitions and are influenced by a variety of factors.
While the MSE is a helpful tool for clinical use, it can be difficult to interpret based upon subjective patient reports. The process of asking patients to share their experiences during the past few weeks is more helpful than relying on only observations from a physician. Recent research revealed that assessment instruments differed in their capacity to detect a substantial part of symptoms. This included the symptoms that were classified under the same disorder. This can be because of the different emphasis placed on emotional or cognitive symptoms, and also the differences between the time intervals and frequency of the reporting of symptoms.
It is possible that the MSE relies on self-reports which could be susceptible to bias. For instance, a person who describes experiencing anxiety and a headache will likely have a lower score than a person who describes only a headache. Furthermore, there is the tendency for patients to downplay negative emotions and underestimate the severity of positive ones.
The affect and mood of a person directly affect the content of thoughts, which can influence decision-making, interpersonal behaviour and physical performance. They can be affected by stress, fatigue, social interactions, world events, hormones, and weather. In fact, a positive mood has been proven to increase the ability to think and be creative. However, a mood that is negative can decrease concentration and cause confusion. Therefore, a thorough and thorough mental health evaluation needs to consider the patient's mood and state of mind as well as their underlying factors.
Thought content
One of the most essential aspects of a mental state examination is assessing how the patient thinks. Evaluation of the thought process and its content. The thought process is the coherence, logic, and organization of the patient's thoughts. Normal thought processes are logical and focused on goals. In many mental health disorders however, thought processing is distorted. Examples include hallucinations, delusions and loose associations.
A mental status examination also examines judgment and insight. Insight is the ability to recognize problems. Judgment is the ability of making a well-considered decision after receiving information. Both can be impaired by a variety of mental health issues such as schizophrenia and depression. Patients with impaired insight or judgment is more prone to harm themselves or others. For instance when they are in danger of burning their home down the sensible judgment would tell them to leave the building immediately. A patient with impaired judgment might suggest that they remain in the house to try to put out the fire.
The contents of a patient's mind include their subject matter, themes and beliefs. Examiners will evaluate the clarity, relatedness and content of a thoughts of the patient. They will also note any thoughts that are tangential or circumstantial and also whether the patient has flights of ideas (digressions from the subject of conversation). They will also provide feedback on the speed at which someone is thinking, such as if they seem to be faster or slower.
Other important areas to consider are whether the patient's thoughts are mood and in tune with their environment. For how do you get a mental health assessment , a patient who is depressed could hear voices that sound aggressive and threatening, whereas someone suffering from schizophrenia could have a hallucination of an ethereal and calm voice. Ask the patient if they are experiencing any suicidal or homicidal thoughts. Although these are rare but they could be life-threatening and must be taken into account in every mental health assessment.
Watching
The observation skills of nurses play an important role in an assessment of mental health. They include a careful review of the appearance, behavior, any unusual beliefs and perceptions (such as hallucinations or delusions) mood, and aspects of cognition (including attention to orientation, attention memory, and orientation). A nursing mental status examination also incorporates observation of motility, including any physical movement, such as eating or drinking, brushing your teeth using the toilet and wearing shoes.
The Observation component of the mental state examination is a key component of determining whether the patient is posing a risk to themselves or others. This is determined by assessing if the patient appears to be acting in a deliberate way that suggests they're trying to harm themselves or another person.
A detailed evaluation of the thought-based content is also accomplished by observing the patient during the interview and determining their thoughts and concerns. It is particularly important to check if the patient is suffering from suicidal or violent thoughts and to determine if they're having delusions.
Global assessment of functioning (GAF) is an assessment of functioning in numerical form, ranging from 0 to 100, measures the capacity of a person to function in daily life along with their capacity for coping with stressors. The GAF is an important element of the mental state exam and assists in guiding treatment decisions.
It is important to recognize that observing the behaviour of a patient may cause distress. It is crucial that the process be conducted in a manner that doesn't cause or make the patient feel uncomfortable. It is also essential that the patient is informed about the purpose of the observation and the amount of time it will take.
Nursing observation is a crucial ability and should be a key element of the nursing process. It is crucial to keep in mind that patients may disagree about the extent of observation. If they cannot reach an agreement with staff members, they must be able access an advocate service that can represent their interests and aid them in any discussions regarding their treatment. This should be a part of local policy and practice, with the involvement and support of groups of users.
Questioning
Many people are reluctant to talk about their mental health issues, but their family members can usually discern when something isn't right. They can also help the person to take an assessment. These tests can be extremely broad and cover a range of subjects including mood, appearance, memory, thinking process and more. A mental health professional could also ask questions regarding the person's personal life. They'll ask them what they have been feeling and what has happened recently.
The test includes a cognitive evaluation that examines a person's ability to think clearly and remember information. The test taker may be asked to complete a few basic tasks, like focusing their attention on a list of objects or words as well as storing lists and lists for solving math problems. The test will also test the person's ability to make sound decisions and use judgment. The assessment determines a patient's awareness, which is the understanding of their condition and how it affects them.
The patient's attitude toward others, himself and the illness is also an important part of a mental assessment. The patient's voice, facial expression and body language can convey hostility, anger or depression, or a feeling of insecurity. It is important to check whether the patient appears to seek help or accepting their situation.
In more serious instances an assessment of mental health could include a thorough examination of the patient's mental state, which could involve hallucinations (false sensory perceptions that do not correspond to real stimuli) or illusions (misperceptions of real stimuli). These conditions can be harmful and even fatal.
In general the mental health assessment should take a holistic approach and consider the person's interactions with their social life. A health professional may employ photographs, music, art or a range of assessment tools that are electronic to better understand the person and their unique view of the world around them. They should also talk with the person about the difficulties that caused them to seek help and assure them that there is nothing wrong with seeing an expert in mental health.
