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Mental Health Nursing – Assessing Mental Health Mental health assessments usually include a physical exam to rule out physical problems. This may involve blood work or urine tests, as well as brain scans. Psychologists use a variety of tools for assessing mental health. These range from pen and paper test forms to deep interviews or self-fill postal questionnaires. Mood and affect The doctor will first observe the patient's mood as well as their affect. They describe a patient's general emotional state. This could be anything from sadness to happiness or anger and irritability. The degree of affect can be determined by watching facial expressions and attitude as well as reactivity to internal or external stimuli (e.g. You can express your feelings by smiling at a joke, or crying when you lose a loved one. Affect is a feeling that is temporary, whereas mood is a state of constant emotion. It is typically described as euthymic, or dysphoric or normal (meaning depression). Professionals in psychiatry must be careful to avoid confusion between the terms, as they are interpreted differently and are affected by a variety of factors. While the MSE is a useful clinical tool but it isn't always easy to interpret based upon subjective patient reports. The process of asking patients to share their experiences over the past few weeks is more effective than relying on only physician observations. A recent study showed that a significant proportion of symptoms, including those grouped together under the same disorder category, vary between assessment tools. This can be due to the different emphasis on emotional, cognitive or physical symptoms, as well as differences in duration and frequency of reporting symptom reports. It is possible that the MSE relies solely on self-reporting which could be biased. A patient who reports both anxiety and headache is likely to report an lower score than a patient reporting only a migraine. Additionally there is the tendency for patients to downplay negative emotions and overestimate the severity of positive feelings. Affect and mood can have a direct impact on thought content. This can affect decision-making, interpersonal behavior, and physical performance. They are affected by stress, fatigue social interactions, global events, hormones and weather. In reality positive moods have been proven to boost the ability to think and be creative. However, a mood that is negative can reduce concentration and lead to confusion. Therefore, a careful and thorough mental health evaluation needs to take into account the patient's current mood and affect as well as the underlying causes. Thought content The ability to determine how a patient thinks is one of the most crucial aspects of a mental state examination. Specifically, evaluating thought process and thoughts. The term “thought process” refers to the coherence, logic and organization of a patient's thought processes. Normal thought processes are logical and focused on a goal. In several mental health conditions however, thought processing is distorted. Examples include hallucinations, delusions, and loose associations. Insight and judgment are evaluated during a mental status exam. Insight is the ability to see the presence of a problem, while judgement is the ability to make a rational decision based on information. Both can be impaired in various mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression. A person who isn't able to see or judgment is more prone to harm themselves or others. For example, if they are at risk of burning their house down, sensible judgement would tell them to leave the house immediately. However, a patient with impaired judgment may decide to stay in the building and attempting to put the fire out. The content of a patient's thoughts encompasses their themes, subject matter and beliefs. Generally, examiners comment on the clarity, connection and the content of a patient's thought. They will be able to identify tangential ideas or those that are merely circumstantial, and if the patient has digressions (digressions away from the topic of the conversation). They will also make comments on the pace of a person's thoughts, such as whether they seem to be fast or slow. Other areas to be considered are whether the patient's thoughts are compatible or not in line with their surroundings. For example, a patient who is depressed may hear voices that are aggressive and threatening, whereas someone suffering from schizophrenia could be able to imagine a calm and soothing voice. Ask the patient if they have any thoughts of suicide or homicide. These are uncommon, but could be life-threatening and should be considered during every mental health assessment. Watching The ability of nurses to observe is essential in an assessment of mental health. They involve a thorough evaluation of behavior, appearance, any peculiar beliefs or perceptions (such hallucinations or delusions), mood, and cognition (including memory, attention and orientation). A mental state examination for nurses also involves observing mobility, which includes any physical movement, such as eating or drinking, brushing your teeth or using the toilet, as well as wearing shoes. The Observation element of the mental state examination is a key component of determining whether or not a patient may pose a risk to themselves or others. This is done by assessing if the patient appears to be moving in a deliberate way that suggests they're planning to harming themselves or someone else. A detailed assessment of the thought-based content is also made by monitoring the patient during the interview and determining preoccupations. It is crucial to determine if the patient has any suicidal or homicidal thoughts and to determine if they're having thoughts of delusion. Global assessment of functioning (GAF), which is a numerical score ranging from 0 to 100, evaluates the ability of the person to function in daily life along with their capacity for dealing with stressors. The GAF is an essential part of the mental health examination and helps guide treatment decisions. It is crucial to realize that observing the behaviour of a patient could cause distress. Therefore, it is essential to conduct the procedure in a way that does not provoke or make the patient feel uncomfortable. It is crucial that the patient is aware of the reason for the observations and the length of the procedure. Nursing observation is a vital ability that should be at the heart of any nursing program. However, it should be remembered that patients may be dissatisfied with the quality of observation. If they cannot reach an agreement with the staff, they should have access to an advocate service that will represent their interests and support patients in any discussions about their care. This should be a part of local policy and practice, with the participation and participation of groups of patients. Questioning Many people are reluctant to talk about their mental health issues, however family members are often able to detect if something is not right. They can also help the person take an assessment. These assessments can be a variety of subjects such as mood, appearance and the thought process. A mental health professional may also inquire about the person's private life. They will ask what they have been feeling and what's happened in the last few days. The test also includes a cognitive test, which focuses on the person's ability to think clearly and recall information. The person could be asked to complete simple tasks such as focusing on a list or objects, memorizing lists or solving math questions. The test can also be used to check the ability of the person's judgement and to make sound decisions. The test determines a person's awareness, which is the understanding of their condition and how it affects them. Another vital aspect of an assessment of mental health is the person's attitude towards other people, himself and the illness. The patient's voice, facial expressions and body language may convey anger, hostility, depression or a sense of helplessness. It is also important to know whether the patient is seeking help or resigned to living with their illness. In more serious instances, a mental health assessment could include a thorough examination of the patient's thoughts that could include hallucinations (false perceptions of sensory stimuli that are not real stimuli) or illusions (misperceptions of real stimuli). It is crucial to recognize the presence of these conditions because they can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening. A mental health assessment must be holistic and examine the person's relationship with their social world. Health professionals can employ art, music or photos, or any other electronic assessment tool to gain a better understanding of the individual. They should also speak to the person about the difficulties that have led them to seek help and assure them that there is nothing wrong with visiting a mental health professional.