Module 14 - Mental Health Assessment Flashcards
What is the purpose of a mental health examination?
- To add complexity to understanding Mental Health
- Assessing symptoms that are causing difficulties to someone’s life
- Allows the health professional to assess thought process, impair functioning, experience and emotion
- Intersecting factors such as environment, genetics, biology, personality, culture, socioeconomic status and life events that may be contributing to a mental disorder
Elements of a Mental Health History
- Identification/Biographical data
- Reason for Seeking Care
- Past health (illness, injury, hospitalization)
- Chronic Illness
- Family Health History
- Current Health
What are the 4 components of a mental status examination?
1) Appearance
2) Behavior
3) Cognition
4) Thinking
What are the factors for Cognitive functions for assessment?
1) Orientation - Do they know the day today?
2) Attention Span - Concentration/Focus
3) Immediate Memory - Can they make sense of that is going on?
4) Recent Memory - Context in the last 24 hours
5) Remote Memory - Viable past events
6) New Learning: The Four Unrelated Words Tests - Ability to acquire new memories
What is thought processes in a mental health examination?
- Noting whether the client responds to the questions or deviates from the subject
- Logical thinking
- Goal Directed
- Coherent
- Relevant
- Client should have complete thought
What is thought content in a mental health examination?
- What the client says should be consistent and logical
- Seeing ritualistic activities (OCD)
- Identifying fears that leads .them to avoid situations
- Assess if the client is having delusions
What is perceptions in a mental health examination?
- Aware of reality
- Perception should be similar to yours
- Can identify if client is having hallucinations
What is the Mini-cog test?
- Brief 3 min test that increases detection of cognitive impairment in older adults
- Detects Alzheimer’s disease
- Related Dementia
What is the MMSE - Mini Mental State Exam?
- Measures cognitive impairment by orientation, language, registration, calculation memory and attention
- Screening test for Dementia and mental state
What is the MoCA - Montreal Cognitive Assessment?
- Assess cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia
- Assess memory, visual abilities, executive functions, calculations, language, orientation and attention
Strategies for integrating knowledge of substance use in health assessment
- Inquire about unusual pasterns with gambling or alcohol and drug use
- Any recent change to the patterns
- Ask the client if they think the person close to them would believe that those factors are a problem for the client
What is the TWEAK screening tool?
- 5 question screening tests that identifies substance abuse (mostly alcohol) in pregnant women
- Stands for Tolerance, Worried, Eye-opener, Amnesia, K-Cut Down
- Assessment tool for behavior and risk of developing a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome
What is the CAGE screening tool?
- Identifies issues with alcohol abuse
- Stands for Cut, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye
- ID’s potential risks by behaviour
- Two Yes answers is a positive
What is the LPN’s role in reporting abuse?
- Should recognize and report
- Speak to chart nurse or MD
- Contact resources for aide - Abuse Charities and Organizations
- Educate the client on reporting abuse and available resources
Aspects of assessment and history for suspected abuse
- Appearance
- Past medical history
- Family history
- Socioeconomic status
- Environment
- Previous substance abuse
- Family/Relationships
- Problems with mental health
- Current issue
