clinical interview

Question 1

what are the basic components of a psychiatric interview and its purpose?

Answer 1

-referrals to psychiatrists based upon mental health assessment by hospital or GP doctors

-At psychiatric appointment, information is drawn from the patient mainly via history and mental state examination (ask patient why they may think they have been referred)

-build a relationship to get the patient to become more comfortable in sharing personal information via asking open-ended questions; this helps them say what they want rather than forcing out the information.

• elaborate further, being more specific to try and build a timeline in order to get to the root of the problem. (figure out triggers, that lead to figuring out the onset and how big of an impact this is)
• close consultation

the purpose of this interview is to build and establish a rapport to get them more at ease and to open up ideas about what the necessary form of treatment is (therapy or medication)

Question 2

what are the things to remember to do in a clinical interview?

Answer 2

introduce yourself
ask for consent
open-ended questions
elaboration (close-ended questions for specificity)

Question 3

what does a psychiatric history include

Answer 3

• family history
  -prior diagnosis (psychiatric history)
  -medication
  -alcohol or substance abuse
• personal history (childhood, jobs, sexual relationships, social network, daily activity, finances)

Question 4

what are the components to look for when diagnosing and treating a mental health patient (ABS, MAT, PCI) - for mental state examination

Answer 4

Appearance- (how well are they maintained)

Behaviour- (how they’re acting, reserved, outgoing, presenting themselves)

Speech- (how are they talking, quickly, quietly, slowly, random things all at once)

Mood- (do they seem reserved, agitated, happy, emotional tone)

Affect- (emotional tone)

Thought- (do they seem negative, positive, which can determine if they’re a pessimistic/optimistic type of individual, or ones who’s angry all the time)

Perception- how do they percieve the world - hallucinations (audiotry, visual and affects all modalities) , delusions (such as grandiose delusions or paranoid delusions)

Cognition- (are they being alert, concentration)

Insight- (self awareness on their mental state, and asking about their current medications)

(look for personal, social and family history, drugs or alcohol use, prior medication or diagnosis)

Question 5

define delusion

Answer 5

A irrational belief that is out of bound with the patient’s social and cultural background

Question 6

what is a more severe indication of a person’s mental health (this is really deep)

Answer 6

self-harm or suicide

Do they have the intent to commit or are they tired

Question 7

how to ask if someone is having suicidal thought

Answer 7

bring up a fact or statistic and ask if this is relatable to them

some people may feel stressed or low and they may experience thoughts of harming themselves, Have you ever felt this way?