Mental Health History Flashcards
What questions could you ease if someone is presenting with depression ?
How are you today ?
How have you been feeling recently ?
Ok can you tell me anymore about that ?
What are the screening questions for depression ?
During the past month have you :
Felt low, depressed or hopeless ?
Had little interest or pleasure in doing things ?
What are some biological symptoms to ask about for depression ?
Sleep - waking up early or difficulty getting to sleep
Low mood - recently, any particular times of the day, does it vary ?
Any appetite changes ?
What are some cognitive symptoms to ask about for depression ?
Reduced concentration - do you get distracted easily ?
Negative perception of current / future situation - how do you feel about your current situation or about the future
Negative perception of self - how do you feel about yourself, do you blame yourself a lot ?
What to ask to assess suicide risk ?
When people feel down and depressed, they can feel that life is no longer worth living. Have you ever felt like this ?
Have you had any thoughts of taking your life ?
How often do you think about this ?
Have you ever thought about how you would do this ?
Have you made any plans to end your life ?
Have you ever tried to end your life ?
What things stop you from ending your life ?
What can be asked about in the social history for depression ?
Type of accommodation
Personal support network
Has their mood affected friendships ?
Are they in a relationship ? Has this been affected ?
Smoking ?
Alcohol ?
Recreational drug use ?
What can be asked about to see if a person has insight into depression ?
What do you think is the cause of the problem ?
Do you think you have a problem at the moment ?
Do you feel like you need help with your problem ?
What can be asked about when someone is having auditory hallucinations ?
Do you ever hear noises or voices when there is nobody there ?
Can you hear them in your ears or are they in your mind ?
How many voices are there ?
Do you recognise the voices ?
What do they say ?
Do they tell you to do things ?
Do they talk to you or about you ?
Are they present all the time ?
What is a somatic hallucination ?
A perception of being touched in the absence of a sensory stimulus. This can feel like your being touched, assaulted or that insects are beneath the skin.
What are some thought abnormalities ?
Thought blocking
Thought withdrawal
Thought insertion
Thought broadcasting
What to ask about for thought abnormalities ?
Do you feel able to think clearly ?
Do you ever experience your thoughts suddenly stopping ?
Is there anyone or anything taking thoughts out of your head ?
Are your thoughts your own ?
Is anyone putting thoughts in your head ?
Can anyone hear your thoughts ?
What questions are there to ask about if someone presents with delusions ?
Do you sometimes have thoughts that others tell you are false ?
Do you have any beliefs that aren’t shared by others you know ?
Do you ever feel that people are out to harm you ?
Do you ever feel that a specific event in the world is related to you in some way ?
What are some questions to ask if someone is experiencing passivity ?
Do you ever feel as though you are being controlled by someone or something ?
Do you ever think that someone or somebody is controlling you ?
Are your thoughts / mood/ actions under your control or is someone forcing you to behave in this way ?
What is examined in an MSE ?
Appearance and behaviour
Speech
Mood and affect
Thoughts
Perception
Insight and judgement
Risk
What is examined for in appearance in the MSE ?
Personal hygiene
Clothing
Stigmata of disease
Weight
Any objects around them
What is examined for in behaviour in the MSE ?
Engagement and rapport
Eye contact
Facial expression
Body language
Psychomotor activity - restlessness, paucity of movement and delayed responses
Abnormal movements
What is examined for in speech in the MSE ?
Rate of speech
Quantity of speech
Tone of speech
Volume
Fluency and rhythm
What is examined for in mood in the MSE ?
Low mood
Anxious
Anger
Euphoric
Guilty
Apathic
What is examined for in affect in the MSE ?
Apparent emotion - sadness, anger, hostility and euphoria
Range and mobility of affect
Intensity - flat or heightened
What is examined for in thought form in the MSE ?
Speed of thoughts
Flow and coherence of thoughts - loose associations, flight of ideas, neologism, word salad
What is examined for in thought content in the MSE ?
Delusions
Obsessions
Compulsions
Overvalued ideas
Suicidal thoughts
What are some examples of questions which can be used to screen for thought content abnormalities ?
What’s been on your mind recently ?
Are you worried about anything ?
Do you sometimes have thoughts that others say are false ?
Do you ever feel like others are out to harm you ?
What is examined for in thought possession in the MSE ?
Thought insertion
Thought withdrawal
Thought broadcasting
What is examined for in perception in the MSE ?
Hallucinations
Illusions - the misinterpretation of an external stimulus
Pseudo - hallucinations - the same as a hallucination but the patient knows it’s not real
What are some examples of questions which can be used to screen for perceptual abnormalities ?
Do you ever see, hear, smell or taste things that are not really there ?
Did you feel that this was real at the time ?
Do you ever feel like the world around you its real ?
What is examined for in cognition in the MSE ?
Orientated in time, place and person
Attention span and concentration levels
Short term memory is like
What examples of questions are used to assess insight in the MSE ?
What do you think the cause of the problem is ?
Do you think you have a problem at the moment ?
Do you feel you need help with your problem ?
