General Psychiatric Assessment
There are many challenges to completing psychiatric evaluations in general medical settings. This includes privacy issues, ward rounds and assessments by other specialties, protected meal times and planned visits from family members.
It can also be difficult to measure outcome in this situation, due to specific challenges for disease-specific outcomes and satisfaction of patients and referrers ratings.
Medical History
The first step in a general psychiatric assessment is to understand the patient's medical history. This includes details of their current condition and any medication they are taking and any significant previous medical problems that could have affected their health and well-being. This information will aid the doctor in determining which psychological tests are suitable and how many appointments they will need to make before making a diagnosis.
This procedure can be a challenge to complete on medical wards because of the small space and interruptions caused by the ward's rounds, examinations from other specialties, allied health professionals and scheduled meal times. It is worth trying to arrange an appointment time that does not clash with any of these activities and find a quiet space for the assessment to be conducted. It is also useful to ask the referrer what their particular concerns are to determine exactly what kind of psychiatric assessment is required.
When carrying out psychiatric assessments on the medical wards in general hospitals, it is important to remember that the physical health issues the patient is suffering from can affect or even obscure their psychiatric signs and behaviors. This is a frequent issue that is referred to as diagnostic overshadowing and is extremely difficult to avoid. If patients are admitted with delirium, but has a diagnosis of dementia in their medical records, it can be tempting to "shadow the delirium' by assuming that it is the result of their existing mental illness. This is in contrast to carrying out a full screen for delirium to rule out treatmentable causes such as stroke.
It is essential that the psychiatrist assessing the patient is able to establish a link between the psychiatric and physical issues of the patient and to elicit concerns or complaints from the patient about their treatment, their care, or how their condition is managed. Reference Osborn and Warner (1998) recommends the most basic approach to accomplishing this. However, it can be difficult to implement in practice.
Family History
The psychiatrist will inquire about your family history in order to determine if there is a mental health problem in your family. They'll also want know about any traumas or abuse you've had and your current social situation (including your relationships, work and if you have support at home). You might be asked questions about your religious beliefs and about your ambitions and dreams. The psychiatrist will make an assessment, and then develop a treatment program that is suited to your needs.
Physical symptoms are also important and it is crucial that the psychiatrist checks these too. They will examine the patient's blood pressure and listen to the heart and lungs and search for any other medical conditions that may be causing or exacerbating the symptoms of psychiatric illness.
It is beneficial for psychiatrists to get an entire physical examination from the patient's GP, but this may not always be possible, particularly with patients who are extremely sick or inpatients in psychiatric units. The patients on these wards may only have very infrequent face-to-face contact with psychiatrists or none at all. In such instances, it is important that psychiatric nurses and care coordinators take an active part in ensuring these patients' physical health concerns are met.
Psychiatrists also need to understand why the person was referred to them and what they are hoping to gain through their psychiatric evaluation. They must be able interpret medical letters, review reports of tests and communicate effectively with the person's medical team to coordinate any medication or treatment.
The medical history is an essential element of any psychiatric assessment and must include the patient's personal mental health diagnosis and previous treatment, as well as information about their drug and alcohol use. It is also crucial to collect a detailed family history, if you can, in order to establish the risk of certain disorders, like bipolar disorder, which tends to run in families. It is beneficial to use brief screens that record the lifetime psychiatric information of informants and their first-degree family members, but it is equally important to obtain the complete psychiatric records of all family members.
Symptoms
In general psychiatric assessment the course of a psychiatric evaluation your doctor will inquire with you about your symptoms and how they have affected your life. Your psychiatrist will also inquire about any pertinent questions, such as your family history. It can be a bit intrusive at times, but you must answer honestly and completely to ensure a precise diagnosis.
If you're suffering from mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression it is crucial to undergo a psychiatric assessment to see whether or not you require treatment. It is normal to experience periods of low mood and stress but should they last for more than several days or impact your daily functioning then you may need treatment.
Your psychiatrist will inquire about your symptoms and any other issues that are impacting you, like work or family problems or abuse of substances. They will also inquire about your physical health, sleep habits, and whether you've tried other ways to help your symptoms.
Your psychiatrist will also ask you questions about your previous experiences with mental illness and they might use standard assessment tools or psychological tests to gain more insight into your situation. These tests may include personality tests, questionnaires or cognitive tests to measure the level of stress you are experiencing.
If your psychiatric examination shows that you have psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions that differ significantly from what is considered to be real, the psychiatrist may need to conduct an extensive exam and then admit you to the hospital for observation. In these cases you'll need be examined by a different psychiatrist before you are able to return home.
Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates will provide you with the assistance and care you require. The team of friendly and experienced professionals is committed to giving you the information you need about your diagnosis and possible treatment options. You can book your psychiatric examination online or by phone now.
Psychological Tests
The use of a variety of tests is an important part of a psycho-psychological examination. Psychological tests are written assessments or verbal evaluations which measure unobserved constructs. They are used to assess the person's emotional health and personality traits. They can be used to determine the severity of a certain mental illness, for example, anxiety or depression. Psychological testing is typically conducted by a psychologist who has been trained. The patient must follow certain instructions to get accurate results.
Psychological assessments can differ in regards to the number and types of psychological tests that are that are administered, based on an individual's symptoms. A general psychiatric evaluation may be short, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination, or extended and thorough, like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. In-depth neuropsychological testing may also be used to assess the presence of brain injuries, concussions or other neurological disorders.
All types of psychiatric evaluations offer a glimpse of the patient's overall psychological and emotional functioning. In hospitals, doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists may conduct these tests to evaluate a patient's mood, emotional reactivity and cognitive capabilities. Private therapists may also conduct these tests in their offices to gather data for a treatment plan, and to determine whether a patient would benefit from medication or a different form of therapy.
Psychological evaluations include intelligence & achievement tests which test certain types of cognitive functioning (often referred to as IQ) and performance against a normative group. Other tests are designed to evaluate the ability to perform an activity, such as memory tests or an assessment of word association. Psychologists are the only experts with extensive training and expertise to administer and interpret psychological tests.
A psychiatric evaluation is designed to connect the patient with a physician who can offer treatment and treatment. After the exam is complete, the doctor will inform the patient of the diagnosis and how it relates to their current symptoms. The doctor will also talk about the prognosis. This is how a diagnosis will expected progress over time.