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Mental Health Nursing – Assessing Mental Health A physical exam is often included in mental health tests to rule out physical issues. This can include urine tests, blood testing, or even brain scans. Psychologists utilize a variety tools to assess mental health. They can use pen and paper test forms to deep interviews or self-fill postal questionnaires. Affect and mood The clinician will first notice the patient's mood and affect. They define a patient's general emotional tone. This can be anything from sadness to happiness or anger and irritability. Affect can be assessed by watching facial expressions and demeanour 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 state of sustained emotion. It is often described as euthymic (normal) or dysphoric, which means depressed. Psychiatric professionals should be careful to avoid confusion between the terms, as they are defined differently and can be affected by various factors. The MSE is a helpful tool for clinical diagnosis, but it is difficult to interpret based on an individual patient's report. Inquiring about the feelings of patients during the past few weeks is more effective than relying solely on observations from a physician. A recent study revealed that a significant percentage of symptoms, which includes those that fall within the same disorder category, vary between assessment tools. This could be due to the different emphasis on cognitive or emotional symptoms and also the differences between time periods and frequency of reporting symptoms. It is possible that the MSE relies on self-reporting which could be biased. For instance, a patient who complains of anxiety and a headache will likely have an lower score than a patient who reports only a headache. Additionally, there is a tendency for patients to downplay negative feelings and overestimate the severity of positive feelings. Mood and affect directly affect the content of thoughts which influences the way we make decisions, our interpersonal behavior, and physical functioning. They are influenced by fatigue, stress, social interactions, world events, hormones, and weather. In fact, a positive mood has been shown to enhance the ability to think and be creative. Conversely, a negative mood can reduce concentration and lead to confusion. Therefore, a careful and thorough mental health assessment is required to take into account the patient's current mood and emotional state as well as their underlying factors. Thought content Assessing how the patient thinks is one of the most important aspects of a mental state examination. Evaluation 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 may be altered when a person suffers from mental health issues. Examples include hallucinations, delusions and loose associations. A mental health assessment also examines judgment and insight. Insight is the ability to identify the presence of a problem, and judgement is the ability to make a rational decision when presented with information. Both are affected by various mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and depression. If a patient suffers from impaired judgment and/or insight is at greater risk of causing harm to themselves or others. If they are in danger, their rational judgement would suggest leaving the house immediately. A person with impaired judgment may suggest that they stay in the building to try to put out the flame. Thought content is the topics, subjects and beliefs that a patient holds. Examiners will comment on the clarity, relevance and content of a patient's thoughts. They will be able to identify tangential ideas or circumstantial ones, and when a patient is digressing (digressions off from the main topic of the conversation). They will also provide feedback on the speed at which someone is thinking, for example, if they seem to be faster or slower. It is also important to determine if the patient's mood matches the environment in which they live. For instance, a person who is depressed might hear voices that sound angry and threatening, while someone suffering from schizophrenia could experience a hallucination of the sound of a calm and soothing voice. A patient should be questioned about any homicidal or suicidal ideation. Although these are rare but they could be life-threatening and should be taken into consideration in every mental health assessment. Observation The nurse's ability to observe is crucial in a mental assessment. They involve a thorough evaluation of appearance, behavior as well as any peculiar beliefs or perceptions (such hallucinations or delusions), mood, and cognition (including memory, attention and orientation). A mental health assessment for nursing also involves observing motility, including any physical movement such as eating or drinking, brushing your teeth or using the toilet, as well as putting on shoes. The Observation portion of the mental state examination is essential in determining whether the patient poses a risk to them or anyone else. This is done by assessing whether the patient is moving deliberately in a way that suggests they may be threatening to harm themselves or anyone else. Additionally, a thorough assessment of the content of thoughts is conducted by monitoring the patient throughout the interview and determining their main concerns. It is essential to determine whether the patient has suicidal, homicidal or delusional thoughts. A global assessment of functioning (GAF) is an assessment of a numerical score on a scale of zero to 100 that evaluates a person's ability to perform in daily life along with their capacity to handle the stressors in their life. The GAF is a vital part of the mental status examination and helps to guide the treatment decisions. It is important to understand that observing the behavior of a patient can cause anxiety. It is crucial that the process be conducted in a manner that doesn't cause or cause discomfort. It is essential that the patient is fully aware of the reason for the observations and the duration of the process. Nursing observation is an essential ability and should be a central element of the nursing process. However, it must be kept in mind that patients could be dissatisfied with the quality of observation and if they cannot reach an agreement with staff, then 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 an integral part of the local policy and practice with the participation of user groups to ensure that patients are involved in the creation of written information and staff training to support this aspect of governance in the clinic. Questioning Many people have a hard to talk about their mental health issues However, loved ones are often able to tell when something is wrong. They can also urge the person to get an assessment. These tests can cover a wide range of subjects such as mood, appearance and the thought process. A mental health professional can also ask questions regarding the person's personal life. They will ask them what they've been feeling and what's happened in the last few days. The test includes an assessment of cognitive ability that examines a person's ability think clearly and retain information. how to get mental health assessment IamPsychiatry may require the person to complete basic tasks, such as focusing on a list or objects, remembering lists, or solving math questions. The test can also be used to check the ability of the person's judgement and to make informed choices. The test measures a patient's awareness, which is the understanding of their illness and how it affects them. Another important component of a mental health assessment is the person's attitude towards other people, himself and the illness. The patient's voice, facial expression and body language can convey hostility, anger or depression, or a feeling of powerlessness. It is important to observe whether the patient appears to seek help or accepting their situation. In more serious instances the assessment of mental health might include a thorough examination of the patient's thoughts that may include hallucinations or illusions. It is crucial to recognize the presence of these conditions because they can be extremely risky and even life-threatening. In general, a mental health assessment should take a holistic approach and look at the person's relationship to their social environment. A health professional could use images, music, art or a variety of electronic assessment tools to better 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 them that there is nothing wrong with seeking out an expert in mental health.