Mental Health Nursing - Assessing Mental Health
Mental health assessments typically include a physical exam to rule out physical ailments. This can include urine tests, blood tests testing, or even brain scans.
Psychologists use a variety of tools to assess mental health. These tools can vary from pencil and paper 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 as well as their affect. They define a patient's general emotional state. This could be anything from sadness to happiness or irritability and anger. The patient's mood can be measured through facial expressions, general behavior and reaction to internal or external stimuli. smiling at an absurd joke or crying over the loss of a loved one).
Affect is a temporary emotion while mood is a more sustained emotional state. It is usually described as euthymic, dysphoric, or normal (meaning depressed). However, psychiatric specialists must be careful not to mix the two since they have different definitions and are affected by a variety of factors.
The MSE is a helpful tool for diagnosing clinical problems, but it is difficult to interpret from the subjective report of a patient. Asking patients about their feelings in the last few weeks can be more beneficial than relying on only observations from a physician. Recent research has revealed that assessment tools were different in their ability to capture a significant portion of symptoms. This included those that were classified under the same disorder. This can be because of the different emphasis placed on cognitive or emotional symptoms as well as differences between time periods and frequency in reporting symptoms.
It is also possible that the MSE is based on self-reporting which is susceptible to bias. For example, a patient who reports anxiety and a headache will likely report less than a patient who reports only the sensation of a headache. Patients tend to minimize negative feelings while exaggerating positive ones.
Affect and mood influence thoughts, which can influence decision-making, interpersonal behaviour, and physical functioning. They can be influenced by fatigue, stress social interactions, global events, hormones and weather. In actual fact positive moods have been shown to enhance thinking and creativity. assessment for mental health that is negative can cause confusion and lower concentration. A thorough and careful mental health assessment should take into account the patient's mood and affect, as well as fundamental factors.
Thought content
The ability to determine how a patient thinks is one the most important aspects of a mental state exam. Assessment of the thought process and its content. The thought process is the logic, coherence and organization of a patient’s thoughts. Normal thought processes are logical and focused on a goal. Thought processing may be altered in several mental health conditions. Examples include hallucinations, delusions and loose associations.
Insight and judgment are evaluated during a mental status exam. Insight is being able to recognize the presence of a problem. Judgment is the ability of making a well-considered decision after receiving information. Both are affected by various mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression. If a patient suffers from impaired insight and/or judgement, they are at a higher risk of causing harm to themselves or others. For example when they are in danger of burning their house down the sensible judgment would tell that they should leave the premises immediately. A person with impaired judgment might suggest they stay in the building to try and put out the fire.
The content of a patient's thoughts encompasses the subject matter, themes, and beliefs. Typically, examiners discuss the clarity, relatedness and the content of a patient's thoughts. They will also note any tangential or circumstantial thoughts or thoughts, and also if the patient has flights of ideas (digressions from the conversation subject). They will also discuss the speed of a person's thoughts, such as whether they seem to be fast or slow.
It is also essential to determine whether the patient's mood is similar to the environment in which they live. For instance, a person who is depressed might hear voices that sound hostile and frightening, whereas a person with schizophrenia might have a hallucination of an ethereal and calm voice. A patient should be asked about any homicidal or suicidal thought. These are rare but can be life-threatening and should be taken into consideration during every mental health assessment.
Observation
The nurse's ability to watch is essential in an assessment of mental health. They involve a thorough evaluation of behavior, appearance and any peculiar beliefs or perceptions (such delusions or hallucinations) mood, cognition (including attention, memory and orientation). A mental state examination for nurses also includes observing mobility, which includes any physical activity like eating, drinking, brushing teeth or using the toilet, as well as taking off shoes.
The Observation component of the mental health exam is an essential element of determining whether the patient is posing the risk to themselves or others. This is done by assessing if the patient appears to be acting in a deliberate way that suggests they're about harm themselves or another person.
In addition, a comprehensive thought content assessment is made by keeping track of the patient throughout the interview and identifying their thoughts and concerns. It is particularly important to determine if the patient is having suicidal or homicidal thoughts and to determine if they're having thoughts of suicide or delusions.
Global assessment of functioning (GAF) is an assessment of functioning in numerical form, ranging between 0 and 100, combines the ability of the person to perform in everyday life with their ability of managing stressors. The GAF is a crucial element of the mental state exam and assists in guiding the treatment decisions.
It is crucial to realize that observing the behaviour of a patient may cause anxiety. It is crucial that the process be conducted in a way that doesn't cause or cause discomfort. It is crucial that the patient is aware of the goal of the observation and the duration of the process.
Nursing observation is an essential ability that should be the core of any nursing process. However, it should be noted that patients might be dissatisfied with the quality of observation. If they cannot reach an agreement with the staff, 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 an integral part of local observation policy and practice, with the participation of user groups to ensure that patients are a part in the development of written information as well as staff training to support this aspect of clinical governance.
Questioning
Many people are hesitant to discuss their mental health issues, however family members can usually detect if something is not right. They can also assist the person to take an assessment. These tests can be a variety of subjects, including mood, appearance and the thought process. In addition to these tests, mental health professionals will also ask the person questions regarding their personal life, including what's been happening recently and what their feelings have been like.
The test also includes a cognitive test, which focuses on the person's ability to think clearly and retain information. The test taker may be asked to complete a few basic tasks, like focusing their attention on the list of words or objects and recollecting lists of basic information or solving math problems. The test can also be used to assess the person's judgment and ability to make sound decisions. The test also evaluates the patient's insight and understanding of their condition and its effects on them.
Another crucial aspect of an assessment of mental health is the patient's attitude towards the world, himself and his illness. The tone of voice, facial expressions and body language may convey hostility, anger or depression, or a feeling of helplessness. It is crucial to determine whether the patient appears to be seeking help or accepting their situation.
In more serious cases the evaluation of mental health might include a look at the patient's thoughts which could include illusions or hallucinations. It is crucial to recognize the presence of these conditions as they can be extremely risky and even life-threatening.
In general the mental health assessment must be holistic and look at the person's interactions with their social environment. A health professional may employ images, music, art or a range of assessment tools using electronic technology to help 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 reassure that there is nothing wrong with seeing an expert in mental health.