Mental Health Assessment Flashcards
Mental health assessment is different than a regular assessment because of what?
It is much more subjective, and difficult to test in that way
Mental health
Finding balance in all aspects of life
-can vary
Mental disorder
Cooccuring symptoms involving alterations in through, experience and emotion
Mental health vs mental illness
Health: state of wellbeing that we all posses, where we are able to participate fully
Illness: health conditions impacting emotions, cognition, behaviours that produce stress impacting day to day events (depression)
Examples of stigma
-labelling
-discrimination
-social exclusion
Physical limitation can cause
A decrease in ones mental health
-leads to social isolation, access help/rescources
Nurses are essential to mental health as
-create rappor
-nurse patient relationship
What does the mental status examination document
Emotional and cognitive functioning
What are the four main components of a mental health assessment and physical examination
Appearance, behaviour, cognition and thought process
Appearance
General presentation
Cognition
Consciousness, orientation, memory, attention/concentration
Behaviour
Mood/affect, speech
Thinking
Perception, process, judgement
What should be tested first in an assessment of mental status
Consciousness
Objective data of appearance
-posture
-body movements
-dress
-grooming and hygiene
Objective data of Behaviour
-level of consciousness
-facial expression
-mood
-affect
Objective data of cognitive functions
-orientation
-attention span
-immediate memory
-recent memory
-remote memory
-four unrelated words test
Objective data of higher intellectual functions
-insight and judgement
-thought processes
-thought content
-perceptions
A patient who was recently diagnoses with seizure disorder, plans to continue a career as a pilot. At this time in the interview, the nurse begins to question the patients..
Judgment
Mini cog test
-checking the health of the brain on routine basis
-three words to repeat back to me and remember for later
-make a clock for me
-ask for the words again
Nutritional patterns
Dietary intake over 24 hours
-dissatisfaction with body image, weighty loss
Sleep/rest changes
How long it takes to fall asleep, frequency of waking up, sleep hygiene, sleep satisfaction
Activity/mobility
Withdrawal from usual activists, avolition, excessive pursuit of physical activity
Elimination
Certain medications may lead to constipation or urinary retention
Interpersonal relationships and rescources
Asses patients role in family and social networks to identity sources of stress and connectedness
Important clues and warning sings of suicide
-precise plan
-prior attempt
-depression
-social withdrawal
-self mutilation
-saying goodbye
-verbal suicide messages