Psych Assessment Flashcards
What is the purpose of a psychosocial assessment?
- Picture of current emotional state, mental capacity, and behavioral function
- Basis for developing plan of care
- Clinical baseline to evaluate effectiveness of treatment or measure patient’s progress
What are some factor’s that could influence the assessment?
- Patient participation and feedback
- Client health status
- Client’s previous experiences/misconceptions about health care
- Client’s ability to understand
- Nurses attitude/approach
What type of environment should the assessment be conducted in?
A comfortable, private, and safe environment for both the client and the nurse
What is included in the background assessment of the client?
- Age
- Developmental stage
- Cultural considerations
- Spiritual beliefs
- Previous history
What does the nurse asses for the clients overall appearance?
- Hygiene/grooming
- Appropriate dress
- Posture
- Eye contact
- Unusual movements/mannerisms
- Speech
Neologisms
invented words that have meaning only to the client
Mood
refers to the client’s pervasive and enduring emotional state
Affect
the outward expression of the client’s emotional state
What are some common terms used in assessing affect?
- Blunted
- Broad
- Flat
- Inappropriate
- Restricted
Blunted Affect
showing little or slow to respond facial expression
Broad Affect
displaying a full range of emotional expression
Flat Affect
showing no facial expression
Inappropriate Affect
displaying a facial expression that is incongruent with mood or situation; often silly or giddy regardless of circumstances
Restricted Affect
displaying one type of expression; usually serious or somber
Thought Process
refers to how the client thinks
Thought Content
is what the client actually says
Circumstantial Thinking
a client eventually answers a question but only after giving excessive unnecessary detail
Delusion
a fixed false belief not based in reality
Flight of Ideas
excessive amount and rate of speech composed of fragmented or unrelated ideas
Ideas of Reference
client’s inaccurate interpretation that general events are personally directed to him or her
Loose Associations
disorganized thinking that jumps from one idea to another with little or no evident relation between thoughts
Tangential thinking
wandering off the topic and never providing the information requested
Thought Blocking
stopping abruptly in the middle of a sentence or train of thought; sometimes unable to continue the idea
Thought Broadcasting
a delusional belief that others can hear or know what the client is thinking
