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Mental Health Nursing – Assessing Mental Health Mental health assessments typically include a physical exam to rule out physical ailments. These can include blood tests, urine tests or even brain scans. what is mental health assessment iampsychiatry.uk utilize a array of tools to measure mental health. These tools can vary from pencil and paper test forms, to in-depth interviews or self-completed questionnaires for postal mail. Affect and mood The clinician will first notice the patient's mood and emotional state. They define a patient's general emotional state. It can be anything from sadness to happiness or irritability and anger. Affect can be measured by watching facial expressions and attitude as well as response to external or internal stimuli (e.g. You can express your emotions by smirking at an absurd joke, or crying when you lose a beloved one. Affect is a temporary emotion while mood is a more sustained emotional state. It is typically described as euthymic, or dysphoric or normal (meaning depressed). However, psychiatric professionals must be careful not to mix the two since they have different definitions and are affected by a range of factors. The MSE is a helpful tool for clinical diagnosis however it is difficult to interpret based on an individual patient's report. It is therefore important to ask patients how they've felt over the past few weeks, as opposed to relying on physician observation only. A recent study revealed that a significant percentage of symptoms, which includes those grouped together under the same disorder category, vary between assessment tools. This can be because of the different emphasis placed on cognitive or emotional symptoms as well as the different the time intervals and frequency of the reporting of symptoms. It is possible that the MSE is based solely on self-reporting which could be biased. Patients who report both anxiety and headache is likely to have lower scores than a patient reporting only headache. Patients tend to minimize negative feelings while exaggerating positive feelings. Affect and mood have a direct impact on the content of thoughts and can affect decision-making, interpersonal behaviour and physical performance. They are influenced by fatigue, stress, social interactions, world events, hormones and even the weather. In reality, a positive mood has been shown to enhance the ability to think and be creative. A negative mood can affect concentration and cause confusion. A thorough and meticulous mental health assessment should take into account the patient's mood as well as affect as well as the underlying factors. Thought content One of the most essential elements of a mental status examination is to determine how the patient thinks. Evaluation of thoughts and their content. Thought process refers to the coherence, logic and organization of a patient's thought processes. The normal process of thinking is focused and rational. Thought processing can be altered in a variety of mental health conditions. Examples include hallucinations, delusions and loose associations. A mental state examination also evaluates insight and judgement. Insight is the ability to recognize the presence of a problem, and judgement is the ability to make a considered decision when presented with information. Both are affected by various mental health conditions, such as depression and schizophrenia. A patient with impaired insight or judgement is more prone to harm themselves or others. If they are in danger, their rational judgement would tell to leave the house immediately. A patient with impaired judgement might suggest that they remain in the building to try and put out the fire. The thoughts of a patient include their subject matter, themes, and beliefs. Examiners will comment on the clarity, relatedness and content of a thoughts of the patient. They will take note of any thoughts that are circumstantial or tangential, and whether the patient is having flashes of thoughts (digressions from the conversation subject). They will also make comments on the pace of a person's thoughts, for instance, whether they seem to be fast or slow. Other important aspects to consider are whether the patient's thoughts are and in tune with their surroundings. For instance, a person who is depressed may hear voices that are angry and threatening, while those suffering from schizophrenia may be able to imagine an ethereal and calm voice. The patient should be questioned about any homicidal or suicidal thoughts. Although these are rare however, they can be life-threatening and must be taken into consideration in every mental health evaluation. Watching Nurses' observation skills are crucial in an assessment of mental health. They are a thorough examination of behavior, appearance, any peculiar beliefs or perceptions (such hallucinations or delusions) and mood cognition (including attention, memory and orientation). A nursing mental status examination also incorporates observation of motility, including any physical activity like eating or drinking, brushing your teeth, using the toilet and wearing shoes. The observation component of the mental state examination is a key component of determining whether the patient could pose an imminent risk to themselves or others. This is accomplished by determining whether the patient appears to be acting in a deliberate way that suggests they are trying to harming themselves or someone else. In addition, a detailed 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 if the patient has any suicidal or homicidal thoughts and to determine if they are having thoughts of delusion. Global assessment of functioning (GAF) which is which is a numerical score ranging between 0 and 100, measures the capacity of a person to perform in everyday life along with their capacity for coping with stressors. The GAF is an important component of the mental health exam and assists in guiding treatment decisions. It is important to be aware that watching an individual's behavior can cause anxiety and it is important that the procedure is carried out in a way that does not cause anxiety for the patient and does not feel intrusive. It is also essential that the patient is aware of the reason for the observation and the amount of time it will last. Nursing observation is a crucial skill and it must be a central part of the nursing process. However, it should be remembered that patients may be dissatisfied with the quality of observation and if they are unable to come to an agreement with the staff, they should be able to access an advocate service which can represent their needs and help them in any discussions regarding their care. This should be a part of the local policy and practice, with the participation and support of groups of users. Questioning Many people have a difficult to discuss their mental health issues, but loved ones can often notice the signs of something being wrong. They can also assist the person take steps to obtain an assessment. These tests can be conducted on a variety of topics such as mood, appearance and thought process. A mental health professional could also inquire regarding the person's personal life. They will ask what they have been feeling and what's happened recently. The test includes an assessment of cognitive ability that examines a person's ability to think clearly and retain information. The test subject may ask to complete simple tasks, like focusing their attention on a list of objects or words and recollecting lists of basic information or solving math problems. The test can also check the person's ability to make good decisions and make good judgments. The test also assesses the patient's knowledge that reflects their understanding of the illness and its effects on them. The attitude of the patient toward others, himself and the illness is also an important element of a mental evaluation. The patient's expression, facial expression and body language can convey hostility, anger depression or a feeling of insecurity. It is important to observe whether the patient appears to seek help or accepting their condition. In more serious cases the assessment of mental health may include an examination the patient's mental state which could include hallucinations or illusions. These conditions can be dangerous and even deadly. In general an assessment of mental health should take a holistic approach and look at the person's relationship to their social environment. A health professional may use images, music, or art, or any other electronic assessment tool to better understand the individual. They should also talk to the person about the challenges that have caused them to seek assistance and reassure them that there is nothing wrong with visiting an expert in mental health.