Mental Health Nursing - Assessing Mental Health
Mental health assessments typically include a physical exam to rule out physical conditions. This can include blood tests, urine test or even brain scans.
Psychologists employ a variety of tools for assessing mental health. These tools range from paper and pencil test forms to more in-depth interviews or self-completed postal questionnaires.
Mood and affect
The doctor will first observe the patient's mood and affect. They define a patient's general emotional tone. 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. smiling at a joke or crying at the loss of a loved one).
Affect refers to an emotion that is temporary, whereas mood is a state of constant emotion. It is usually described as euthymic (normal) or dysphoric, meaning depressed. Psychologists should be cautious to avoid confusion between the terms because they are different in their definition and are affected by various factors.
While the MSE is a useful tool for clinical use but it can be difficult to interpret based upon subjective patient reports. It is therefore beneficial to ask patients how they have been feeling over the last few weeks, instead of relying on physician observation only. A recent study showed that a large proportion of symptoms, including those that are grouped under the same disorder category, vary between assessment tools. This can be because of the different emphasis placed on emotional or cognitive symptoms, and also the differences between time periods and frequency in the reporting of symptoms.
It is possible that the MSE relies on self-reporting, which can be biased. For example, a patient who describes experiencing anxiety and headaches will likely have less than someone who has only an occasional headache. Patients tend to minimize negative feelings while exaggerating positive ones.
Affect and mood directly affect thought content and can affect the way people make decisions, their interpersonal behavior and physical performance. They can be affected by stress, fatigue and social interactions. In fact, a positive mood has been proven to boost creativity and thinking power. A negative mood can reduce concentration and lead to confusion. A thorough and meticulous mental health assessment should be able to consider the patient's mood and affect as well as the other factors.
Thought content
One of the most essential aspects of a mental health exam is assessing how a patient thinks. Assessment of thought process and content. The thought process is the coherence, logic, and organization of a patient’s thoughts. Normal thought processes are logical and focused on goals. Thought processing can be altered in a variety of mental health conditions. Examples include delusions, hallucinations and loose associations.
Insight and judgment are evaluated during a mental status exam. Insight is being able to recognize problems. Judgment is the capability of making a well-considered decision after receiving information. Both can be impaired in several mental health conditions, like schizophrenia and depression. If a patient has impaired judgment or insight is at a higher chance of harming themselves or others. For example, if they are at risk of destroying their home the sensible judgment would tell them to leave the building immediately. However, a person with impaired judgment might recommend staying in the house and attempting to put the fire out.
The thoughts of a patient encompasses their subject matter, themes, and beliefs. Examiners will evaluate the clarity, relatedness and the content of the thoughts of the patient. They will take note of any thoughts that are tangential or circumstantial and also whether the patient has flights of ideas (digressions from the conversation subject). They will also comment on the pace at which a person is thinking, such as whether they seem fast or slower.
Other important aspects to consider are whether the patient's thoughts are mood congruent or incongruent with their environment. For example, a patient who is depressed may hear voices that sound aggressive and threatening, whereas someone suffering from schizophrenia could be able to imagine a calm and soothing voice. Ask the patient if they've had any suicidal or homicidal ideas. They are not common, but they can be life-threatening and should be considered during every mental health assessment.
Watching
Nurses' observation skills are essential to a mental health assessment. They are a thorough examination of appearance, behavior and any unusual beliefs or perceptions (such hallucinations or delusions) and mood cognition (including memory, attention and orientation). The nursing mental status exam also includes observing the movement. This is any physical activity, like eating, drinking or brushing teeth.
The Observation component of the mental health examination is a crucial aspect of determining if the patient could pose a risk to themselves or others. This is determined by assessing whether the patient is acting in a manner which suggests they are about to harm themselves or someone else.
A detailed evaluation of the thought content is also accomplished by observing the patient during the interview and determining their concerns. It is important to check whether the patient is experiencing suicidal, homicidal or delusional thoughts.
A global assessment of functioning (GAF) is a numerical rating on a scale from 0 to 100 that combines the capacity of a person to function in everyday life with their ability to deal with the stresses that come with life. The GAF is a vital component of the mental health assessment and aids in making treatment decisions.
It is important to understand that observing the behaviour of a patient can cause distress. Therefore, it is essential that the process be conducted in a manner that does not cause discomfort or cause discomfort. It is also crucial that the patient is fully informed about the purpose of the observation as well as the length of time it will take.
Nursing observation is an essential skill that must be a central part of any nursing process. It is crucial to keep in mind that patients might disagree on the extent of observation. If they are unable to reach an agreement with staff members, they should be able to use an advocate service that can represent their interests and assist in any discussions about their care. This should be a fundamental part of the local policy and practice with the participation of user groups to ensure that patients are included in the development of written information as well as staff training to support this aspect of clinical governance.
Questioning
Many people have a hard to talk about their mental health problems, but loved ones are often able to tell the signs of something being wrong. They can also help the person to get an assessment. These assessments be a variety of topics that include mood, appearance and the thought process. In addition to these tests, the mental health professional will also ask the individual questions about their life, such as what's happened lately and what their feelings have been like.
The test consists of a cognitive evaluation that focuses on a person's ability think clearly and retain information. The test taker may be asked to complete a few basic tasks, such as keeping their attention on the list of objects or words, memorizing simple lists or solving math problems. The test will also test the ability of the individual to make informed decisions and make good judgments. The test measures a patient's perception, which is their knowledge of their illness and how it affects them.
Another important component of an assessment of mental health is the person's attitude towards the world, himself and his illness. The patient's tone of voice, facial expression and body language can convey anger, hostility or depression, or a feeling of helplessness. It is also important to determine whether the patient appears to be seeking help or resigned to living with their condition.
In more serious cases an assessment of mental health may include an assessment of the patient's thinking that may include hallucinations (false sensory perceptions without real stimuli) or illusions (misperceptions of real stimuli). It is important to note the presence of these conditions because they can be extremely risky and even life-threatening.
In general an assessment of mental health should be holistic and examine the person's interactions with their social world. mental health assessments might use art, music, photos or a range of electronic assessment tools to help understand the person and their unique view of the world around them. They should also discuss the difficulties that prompted the person to seek help, and assure that there is nothing wrong with seeking out a mental health professional.