methods of diagnosis

Question 1

what is necessary to include/ go through in a psychiatric assessment

Answer 1

-history
-mental state examination
-risk assessment

Question 2

what does a history assessment include?

Answer 2

-past psych history
-past med history
-family history
-personal history
-social history
-substance use

Question 3

what does a mental state examination include?

Answer 3

-appearance (how they present themselves, maintenance)
-behaviour (how they act)
-mood/affect (how they are expressing themselves and what we think their mood is like)
-thoughts (having irrational beliefs or delusions)
-cognition (thought process, attention, concentration)
-speech (rate, tone, volume)
-insight (self-awareness)
-perception (how they view the world and experiences)
ABS MAT PCI

Question 4

what are the two steps required for making a diagnosis?

Answer 4

formulation
diagnosis

Question 5

why is diagnosis important

Answer 5

• provides ease of knowing what is wrong with them and can understand the cause, and provides hope for treatment
• also helps the family be more understanding towards them and can also be at ease knowing that there is a reason for their behaviours (allows appropriate support)

-enables further research

-access to financial, social and health services

Question 6

what are the potential social benefits?

Answer 6

-free prescription
-PIP
-freedom pass
-help with job-seeking
education and health care plan

Question 7

what is the positives and negatives of labelling

Answer 7

positive:
-clarification of what’s wrong with them
-access to appropriate health, financial and social care services
-hope that they can get better

negative:

-stigma against labelling
-can cause people to not rely on them or trust them
-be scared of them.
-can cause distancing
-diagnosis can change therefore is not consistent

Question 8

what are the three P’s for formulation

Answer 8

predisposing- things that increase hereditary of developing condition (genetics, socioeconomic background)

precipitating- triggers that can cause onset of condition
(environmental stress like divorce, accident, greif)

perpetuating- things that maintain the symptom or condition (substance use, complex family dynamic, poor support system)

Question 9

what to consider as part of the formulation process

Answer 9

biological: predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating

psychological: predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating

social: predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating

Question 10

what criteria do you need to refer to when making a diagnosis and what does coding system consist of?

Answer 10

ICD (british) and DSM-5 (american)

consist of:
-organic disorder
-psychosis
-affective disorders
-anxiety related
-personality disorder
-developmental disorder
-disorders with their onset in childhood or adolescence
-substance misuse

Question 11

what is the current psychiatric diagnosis hierarchy?

Answer 11

-organic disorder (delirium, demetia)
-psychotic disorders (schisophernia)
-mood disorder (bipolar, depression)
-anxiety disorder (OCD, PTSD)
-personality disorder (borderline PD, narcissistic PD, antisocial PD)

Question 12

How to come to a diagnosis

Answer 12

first consider which group they fall into via the hierarchy.

then consider the specific condition via ICD or DSM-5

Question 13

what is differential diagnosis?

Answer 13

multiple shortlisted conditions that display similar symptoms and signs therefore require further analysis to differentiate