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Mental Health Nursing – Assessing Mental Health Mental health assessments often include a physical exam, to rule out physical ailments. This could include blood tests, urine tests or even brain scans. Psychologists also employ a range of tools to evaluate mental health. They can use tests that are written on paper and pen to deep interviews or self-fill questionnaires for postal delivery. Mood and affect The clinician will first notice the patient's mood as well as their affect. They are the general emotional state that can range from joy to sadness or irritability to anger. The affect can be assessed through facial expressions, overall demeanor and the reaction to internal or external stimuli. smiling at an absurd joke or crying over the loss of a loved one). Affect is a feeling that is temporary, while mood is a state of constant emotion. It is usually described as euthymic or dysphoric, or normal (meaning depressed). However, psychiatrists must be careful not to mix the two because they have different definitions and are affected by a variety of factors. While the MSE is a helpful clinical tool but it can be difficult to interpret based on a subjective patient reports. It is therefore important to ask patients how they have felt over the past few weeks, instead of relying solely on the observations of doctors. Recent research showed that the assessment tools were different in their ability to detect a substantial portion of symptoms. This included the symptoms that were classified under the same disorder. This can be because of the different emphasis placed on cognitive or emotional symptoms and also the differences between time periods and frequency in the reporting of symptoms. It is possible that the MSE is based on self-reporting which is susceptible to bias. For instance, a patient who reports anxiety and headaches will likely have less than someone who has only an occasional headache. Additionally, there is the tendency for patients to minimize negative emotions and underestimate the severity of positive feelings. The mood and the affect of a person can have an impact on thought content. This can affect the way people make decisions, their interpersonal behavior and physical performance. They can be affected by stress, fatigue and social interactions. In reality positive moods have been proven to boost the ability to think and be creative. A negative mood can decrease concentration and cause confusion. mental health assessment IamPsychiatry and meticulous mental health assessment should take into account the patient's mood as well as affect and the underlying factors. Thought content Examining the way a patient thinks is one the most crucial aspects of a mental health examination. Particularly, it is assessing thought process and thoughts. Thought process refers to the logic, organization and coherence of a patient's thought processes. Normal thought processes are logical and focused on goals. Thought processing can be distorted when a person suffers from mental health issues. Examples include hallucinations, delusions and loose associations. Insight and judgement are also assessed during a mental state test. Insight is the ability to identify that there is a problem, while judgement is the ability to make an informed decision based on information. Both can be impaired by a variety of mental health issues like depression and schizophrenia. If a patient is impaired in judgment or insight is at greater risk of harming themselves or others. If they are in danger, their rational judgment would advise them to leave the premises immediately. A patient with impaired judgment might suggest they stay in the building to try to put out the flame. Thought content refers to the topics, subject matter, and beliefs that a patient holds. Examiners will evaluate the clarity, relevance, and content of thoughts of the patient. They will note any tangential or circumstantial thoughts and also whether the patient has flights of ideas (digressions from the topic of conversation). They will also make comments on a person's pace of thinking, such as if they seem fast or slower. It is also essential to determine if the patient's mood is similar to their environment. For instance, a person who is depressed might hear voices that sound angry and threatening, while someone suffering from schizophrenia could have a hallucination of a calm and soothing voice. Ask the patient if they have any suicidal or homicidal ideas. Although these are rare however, they can be life-threatening and must be taken into account in every mental health evaluation. Watching The ability of nurses to observe is essential in a mental assessment. They involve a thorough evaluation of behavior, appearance, any unusual beliefs or perceptions (such delusions or hallucinations), mood, and cognition (including memory, attention, orientation). A nursing mental status examination also includes observing motility, including any physical activity like eating or drinking, brushing your teeth or using the toilet, as well as taking off shoes. The Observation component of the mental state exam is crucial in determining if the patient poses a risk to them or others. This is determined by assessing whether the patient appears be acting in a manner that suggests they are about harm themselves or another person. In addition, a detailed assessment of the content of thoughts is conducted by observing the patient throughout the interview and determining their preoccupations. It is crucial to check if the patient has any suicidal or homicidal thoughts and to determine if they are having thoughts of suicide or delusions. A global assessment of functioning (GAF) is a numerical rating on a scale of 0 to 100 that combines a person's ability to perform in daily life along with their capacity to handle the stresses in their lives. The GAF is a vital component of the mental health assessment and aids in making treatment decisions. It is important to recognize that observing the behavior of a patient may cause anxiety. It is therefore important to conduct the procedure in a way that does not cause discomfort or feel intrusive. It is also crucial that the patient is aware of the reason for the observation and the amount of time it will take. Nursing observation is an important ability and should be a key part of the nursing process. However, it should be kept in mind that patients could not agree with the degree of observation and if they cannot reach an agreement with the staff, they should have access to an advocate service that can represent their interests and assist patients in any discussions about their treatment. This should be part of the local policy and practice, with the involvement and the support of groups of patients. Questioning Many people are reluctant to talk about their mental health issues, but their family members are often able to discern when something isn't right. They can also urge the person to take a look at an assessment. These assessments can be very broad and cover a variety of subjects, such as mood, appearance and memory, thought process and much more. In addition to these tests, mental health professionals will also ask the individual questions about their personal life, including what has been going on recently and what their feelings have been like. The assessment also includes a cognitive test that is focused on the ability of the person to think clearly and recall information. The test taker may be asked to complete simple tasks, such as focusing their attention on an alphabet of objects or words, memorizing simple lists or solving math problems. The test will also test the person's ability to make informed decisions and make good judgments. The test determines a person's awareness, which is the understanding of their condition and how it affects them. Another crucial aspect of the mental health assessment is the person's attitude toward others, himself and his illness. The patient's voice, facial expressions and body language may convey hostility, anger, depression or a sense of helplessness. It is also important to determine whether the patient is seeking help or just living with their condition. In more serious cases the mental health assessment might include an examination of the patient's mental state that may include hallucinations (false sensory perceptions without real stimuli) or illusions (misperceptions of real stimuli). These conditions can be dangerous and even deadly. A mental health assessment must be holistic and focus on the person's relationship with their environment. A health professional might use art, music, photos or a variety of assessment tools using electronic technology to better understand the person and their unique perspective on the world around them. They should also talk about the difficulties that prompted the person to seek help, and assure them there is nothing wrong with seeing a mental health professional.