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Mental Health Nursing - Assessing Mental Health

Mental health assessments typically involve a physical examination, to rule out physical problems. This may include blood tests and urine tests as well as brain scans.

Psychologists also use a wide variety of tools to assess mental health. They can use tests that are written on paper and pen to in-depth interviews, or self-complete questionnaires sent to you by post.

Mood and affect

The doctor will first observe the patient's mood and affect. They describe a patient's general emotional tone. This could be anything from sadness to happiness or anger and irritability. The degree of affect can be determined by observing facial expressions and overall manner of speaking as well as the reaction to external or internal stimuli (e.g. smiling at an absurd joke or crying over the loss of a loved one).

Affect is a feeling that is temporary, whereas mood is a long-lasting emotion. It is usually described as euthymic, or dysphoric, or normal (meaning depression). However, psychiatrists must be careful not to misunderstand the terms as they have varying definitions and are affected by a variety of factors.

The MSE is a helpful instrument for diagnosing clinical conditions however, it can be difficult to interpret from the subjective report of a patient. Inquiring about the feelings of patients in the last few weeks is more helpful than relying solely on observations from a physician. Recent research showed that the assessment tools were different in their ability to identify a significant portion of symptoms. This included those that were classified under the same disorder. This can be due to the different emphasis placed on cognitive, emotional or physical symptoms as along with differences in time periods and frequency of reporting symptom reports.

It is possible that the MSE relies solely on self-reporting, which could be biased. For example, a patient who reports anxiety and headaches will likely have less than someone who has only an occasional headache. Furthermore, there is an inclination for patients to minimize negative feelings and overestimate the severity of positive ones.

The affect and mood of a person have a direct impact on the content of thoughts and can affect the way we make decisions, our interpersonal behavior and physical functioning. They are affected by fatigue, stress and social interactions. In reality positive moods have been proven to boost the ability to think and be creative. A negative mood can reduce concentration and lead to confusion. A thorough and meticulous mental health evaluation must consider the patient's mood as well as affect as well as the underlying factors.

Thought content

One of the most important aspects of a mental health examination is assessing how the patient thinks. Evaluation of thought process and content. The thought process is the logic, coherence and organization of a patient's thoughts. A normal thought processes is objective-oriented and logical. In a variety of mental health conditions however, thought processing can be altered. Examples include delusions, hallucinations and loose associations.

Insight and judgement are evaluated during a mental status test. Insight is the ability to identify problems. Judgment is the ability of making a well-considered decision after receiving information. Both are impaired in various mental health conditions, like schizophrenia and depression. A patient with impaired insight or judgement is more likely to hurt themselves or others. For instance if they are in danger of destroying their home, sensible judgement would tell them to leave the house immediately. A patient with impaired judgement might suggest they stay in the building to try to put out the fire.

The content of a patient's thoughts includes their subject matter, themes, and beliefs. Examiners will evaluate the clarity, relevance, and content of thoughts of the patient. They will note any thoughts that are tangential or circumstantial or thoughts, and also if the patient is prone to having a flurry of thoughts (digressions from the subject of conversation). They will also make comments on the speed at which someone is thinking, for example, if they seem fast or slower.

It is also essential to determine whether the patient's mood is similar to the environment in which they live. A patient with depression might be able to hear angry voices, whereas those suffering from schizophrenia might experience the illusion that a peaceful voice is speaking. Ask the patient if they are experiencing any suicidal or homicidal ideas. Although they are not common however, they can be life-threatening and must be taken into account in every mental health evaluation.

Watching

The nurse's ability to observe is essential in a mental assessment. They include a careful review of behavior, appearance and any strange beliefs or perceptions (such as hallucinations or delusions), mood, and aspects of cognition (including attention to orientation, attention memory). A mental health assessment for nursing also incorporates observation of mobility, which includes any physical activity like eating, drinking, brushing teeth using the toilet and putting on shoes.

The Observation element of the mental status exam is an essential element of determining if the patient could pose the risk to themselves or others. This is determined by assessing whether the patient appears to be acting in a way that suggests they are planning to harming themselves or someone else.

A detailed assessment of the content of thoughts is also accomplished by observing the patient during the interview and determining their thoughts and concerns. It is particularly important to determine if a patient has any suicidal or violent thoughts and to determine if they're experiencing thoughts of delusion.

A global assessment of functioning (GAF) is an assessment of a numerical score on a scale from zero to 100 that evaluates the ability of a person to function in everyday life and their ability to deal with the stressors in their life. The GAF is a vital component of the mental health examination and helps to guide the treatment decisions.

It is important to understand that observing the behavior of a patient could cause distress. It is crucial to conduct the procedure in a way that does not provoke or make the patient feel uncomfortable. It is also vital 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 a crucial skill that should be a central element of the nursing process. However, it should be noted that patients might be dissatisfied with the quality of observation. If they are unable to come to an agreement with staff then they should have access to an advocate service that will 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 involvement of user groups, to ensure that patients are involved in the creation of written information as well as staff training on this aspect of governance in the clinic.

Questioning

Many people have a difficult to talk about their mental health issues however, family members can often notice the signs of something being wrong. They can also urge the person to get an assessment. These tests can 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 regarding their personal life, including what's happened recently and what their feelings have been like.

The test consists of an evaluation of the cognitive capacity which focuses on an individual's ability to think clearly and retain information. The test subject may ask to complete simple tasks, such as focusing their attention on an alphabet of words or objects and recollecting lists of basic information or solving math problems. The test will also test the ability of the individual to make informed decisions and use their judgment. assessing mental health determines the patient's understanding that reflects their level of understanding about their condition and its effects on them.

Another important component of an assessment of mental health is the person's attitude toward other people, himself and the illness. The tone of voice, the facial expression, and the body language of a patient may signal depression, anger or a sense of powerlessness. It is also important to determine whether the patient appears to be seeking help or resigned to living with their illness.

In more serious cases, a mental health assessment could include a thorough assessment of the patient's thinking, which could involve hallucinations (false perceptions of sensory stimuli that are not real stimuli) or illusions (misperceptions of real stimuli). It is important to note the presence of these conditions as they can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening.





In general the mental health assessment should take a holistic approach and consider the person's interactions with their social life. Health professionals can employ photographs, music, art or any other electronic assessment tool to better understand the individual. They should also speak to the person about the issues that have led them to seek help and reassure them that there is nothing wrong with seeing an expert in mental health.