Mental Health Nursing - Assessing Mental Health A physical exam is usually included in mental health tests to rule out any physical ailments This can include blood tests, urine tests or even brain scans Psychologists use a variety of tools to assess mental health They can use pen and paper test forms to in-depth interviews, or self-complete 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 mood that can range from happiness to sadness, or even irritability to anger Affect can be measured by looking at facial expressions and attitude as well as reaction to external or internal stimuli eg You can express your feelings by laughing at a joke, or crying when you lose a beloved one Affect is a temporary emotion, whereas mood is a more sustained emotional state It is usually described as either euthymic normal or dysphoric, which translates to depressed However, psychiatric professionals must be careful not to mix the two as they have varying definitions and are affected by a variety of factors The MSE can be a valuable tool for clinical diagnosis however, it can be difficult to interpret based on the subjective report of a patient It is therefore beneficial to ask patients how they have been feeling in the last few weeks, instead of relying solely on the observations of doctors Recent research revealed that assessment instruments differed in their capacity to capture a significant part of symptoms This included those that were grouped under the same disorder This can be because of the different emphasis on cognitive or emotional symptoms as well as the different time periods and frequency of the reporting of symptoms It is possible that the MSE relies on self-reports, which may be prone to bias A patient who reports both anxiety and headache is likely to report an lower score than a patient reporting only a migraine Furthermore, there is the tendency for patients to downplay negative feelings and overestimate the severity of positive emotions Affect and mood can have a direct influence on the content of thought This can impact the way people make decisions, their interpersonal behavior and physical functioning They can be affected by fatigue, stress and social interactions A positive mood can enhance creativity and mental power A negative mood can decrease concentration and cause confusion A thorough and thoughtful mental health assessment should be able to consider the patient's mood as well as affect, as well as underlying factors Thought content The ability to determine how a patient thinks is one of the most important aspects of a mental health examination Assessment of thought process and content The thought process is the coherence, logic, and organization of a patient's thoughts Normal thought processes are objective-oriented and logic-based In a variety of mental health conditions however, the thought process is altered Examples include hallucinations and delusions as well as loose associations A mental health assessment also assesses the quality of insight and judgement Insight is the ability to recognize that there is a problem, while judgement is the ability to make an informed decision based on information Both can be impaired in various mental health conditions, like schizophrenia and depression A person who isn't able to see or judgment is more prone to harm themselves or others For instance when they are in danger of burning their home down and they have a good sense of judgement, it would be wise for them to leave the building immediately However, someone with impaired judgment might decide to stay in the building and attempting to put the fire out The contents of a patient's mind encompasses the subject matter, themes, and beliefs Examiners will assess the clarity, relatedness and content of a thoughts of the patient They will note tangential thoughts or circumstantial ones, as well as if the patient has digressions digressions away from the topic of the conversation They will also comment on the speed of someone's thoughts, for instance, whether they appear fast or slow Other important aspects to consider are whether the patient's thoughts are mood congruent or incongruent with their surroundings Patients suffering from depression may 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've had any suicidal or homicidal ideas Although they are uncommon, they can be life-threatening and must be considered during every mental health assessment Observation The observation skills of nurses are essential to an assessment of mental health They include a careful review of appearance, behaviour, any unusual beliefs and perceptions such as hallucinations or delusions mood, as well as aspects of cognition including attention, orientation, memory The nursing mental state exam also includes monitoring the movement This includes any physical movement like eating, drinking or brushing teeth The observation component of the mental state examination is a crucial aspect of determining whether the patient could pose a risk to themselves or others This is determined by assessing if the patient appears to be acting in a way that suggests they're trying to harm themselves or another person Additionally, a thorough assessment of thought content is done by monitoring the patient throughout the interview and determining their thoughts and concerns https//writeablognet/bottlepolo76/mental-health-assessment-uk-explained-in-fewer-than-140-characters is crucial to check 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 which is a numerical score ranging from 0 to 100, combines the ability of the person to perform in everyday life and their capability of dealing with stressors The GAF is a crucial component of the mental health exam and assists in guiding treatment decisions It is important to recognize that observing the behavior of a patient could cause distress https//etextpadcom/8ylka3r97b is crucial to conduct the procedure in a way that does not provoke or cause discomfort It is essential that the patient be fully aware of the goal of the observations and the duration of the process Nursing observation is an important skill and it must be a key part of the nursing process It is essential to remember that patients might disagree on the extent of observation If they are unable to reach an agreement with the staff, they should be able to access an advocate service to represent their interests and aid them in any discussions about their care This should be part of local policy and practice, with the involvement and support of groups of users Questioning Many people are reluctant to talk about their mental health issues, but their family members can often detect if something is not right They can also help the person to get an assessment These assessments can be very broad and cover a variety of topics including mood, appearance as well as memory, thinking process and much more A mental health professional can also inquire about the person's private life They will ask them what they feel and what's happened in the last few days The assessment also includes a cognitive test that focuses on the person's ability to think clearly and remember information The person may be required to complete basic tasks such as focussing on a list or objects, remembering lists, or solving math questions The test can be used to test the ability of the person's judgement and to make informed choices The test also assesses the patient's insight, which reflects their understanding of their condition and its effects on them The attitude of the patient towards himself, others and the illness is also an important element of a mental evaluation The tone of voice, facial expression, and the body expressions of a patient could indicate depression, anger or a sense of powerlessness It is important to observe whether the patient appears seek assistance or is accepting their situation In more serious cases the assessment of mental health might include a thorough examination of the patient's thoughts which could include illusions or hallucinations It is important to note the presence of these conditions because they can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening In general the mental health assessment should take a holistic approach and look at the person's interactions with their social environment A health professional can use photographs, music, art or any other electronic assessment tool to gain a better understanding of the person They should also discuss the difficulties that prompted the person to seek help, and reassure them there is nothing wrong with seeing a mental healthcare professional