Week 3 Mental Health Nursing

Question 1

what is MSE

Answer 1

retrieving information about specific aspects of a persons mental experiences and behaviours ATOR

Question 2

what does MSE stand for ?

Answer 2

Mental state examination

Question 3

why is MSE conducted?

Answer 3

• to identify signs and symptoms
  monitor change or improvement
  inform of treatment or interventions
  provide a standardised form of documentation

Question 4

when is MSE conducted?

Answer 4

during admission
in course of taking history
change in clinical presentation
one on one interaction
informally MH nurses

Question 5

what information is included when taking history in addition to MSE

Answer 5

Individual details
identifying the presenting problems
history of presenting illness
personal history
previous medical/surgical history
family history
premorbid personality
prescribed/unprescribed substance use

Question 6

what is MSE used for?

Answer 6

to determine acuity
in emergency situations
documented history
improves active listening skills and observations.

Question 7

what are the main sections of the MSE - important

Answer 7

-appearance and behaviours
- speech
-mood and affect
- form of though
-content of though
-perceptual disturbances
-sensorium and cognition
-insight

Question 8

what to assess in appearance when conducted MSE?

Answer 8

• eye contact
• motor activity or inactivity
  -expressive gestures

Question 9

what to assess in speech when conducted MSE?

Answer 9

-articulation disturbances
-rate (rapid, pressured, slow)
- volume
-quantity or repeated

Question 10

what to assess in mood and affect when conducted MSE?

Answer 10

• mood
  subjective/ internal emotion
  use of patients words

-affect
objective/observable
range and intensity
stability
appropriateness & congruity

Question 11

what to assess in though form/process when conducted MSE?

Answer 11

• amount of though - rate/ production
• continuity of ideas
  -disturbances

Question 12

what to assess in amount of thought when conducted MSE?

Answer 12

poverty of ideas - absence of spontaneous speech

flight of ideas - abrupt changes in conversation, no connection in the ideas expressed

slow or hesitant thinking - reduced amount of thoughts

Question 13

what to assess in continuity of ideas when conducted MSE?

Answer 13

• preservations - persistent repetition of same words or themes

thought blocking - abrupt interruption to flow of thinking

distractible speech - repeated changes of topic

irrelevance - replies to questions not related to topic of discussion

Question 14

what to assess in language when conducted MSE?

Answer 14

neologisms - creation of new words that have no significance or meaning to others

word salad and incoherences - communication is disorganised and senseless

Question 15

what to assess in thought content when conducted MSE?

Answer 15

negative thoughts ?
suicidal thoughts or thoughts to harm others?

Question 16

what to assess in perceptual disturbances when conducted MSE?

Answer 16

• hallucinations (all senses)
• delusions
• derealisation
• depersonalisation

Question 17

what to assess in range and intensity of affect when conducted MSE?

Answer 17

variations may range from lack of emotional expression to emotional expressiveness

normal affect - changes in facial expressions, use of hands, body language

restricted affect - decrease in intensity and range of emotional expressions

blunted affect - severe decrease in intensity and range of emotional expressions

flat affect - total or near absence of emotional expressions

Question 18

what to assess in sensorium and cognition when conducted MSE?

Answer 18

• level of consciousness
• memory
• orientation
• concentration or focus
• judgement

Question 19

what to assess in insight when conducted MSE?

Answer 19

• capacity to recognise own problems and symptoms
• often recorded as absent, partial, limited or full