Week 1: Psychiatric Assessment of the Adult and Older Adult
Many assessment principles are the same for children and adults; however, with adults/older adults, consent for participation in the assessment comes from the actual client and not parents or guardians. The exception to this is adults/older adults who have been determined incapacitated by a court of competent jurisdiction. Some adults may be easier to assess than children/adolescents as they are more psychologically minded. That is, they have better insights into themselves and their motivations than children/adolescents (although this is not universally true).
Older adults present some of their own unique assessment challenges in that they may have higher levels of stigma associated with seeking psychiatric care. Additionally, there are higher rates of neurocognitive disorders superimposed on other clinical conditions such as depression or anxiety, which creates additional diagnostic challenges.
This week, you will develop your own personal format for initial interviews of mental health clients. You also will explore the restrictions and limitations for practice as a PMHNP in your home state and create a plan for passing the national certification exam.
Photo Credit: KatarzynaBialasiewicz / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Discussion: Interview Format
Despite what you may believe (or may have been told), there is no such thing as one “right” way to do an interview. In fact, there are numerous books written about the various ways of conducting the clinical interview. In actual clinical practice, you will find the format that “works” best for you and addresses your unique strengths and the needs of the client.
In this Discussion, you will practice finding the interview format that works for you and share those ideas with your colleagues for feedback.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
· Develop formats for initial interviews of mental health clients
To prepare for this Discussion:
· Review the Learning Resources.
· Develop an interview format you would use for an initial interview of a client.
Post:
Attach the interview format document you would use for an initial interview of a client.
Describe what interview format your preceptor uses for the initial interview of a client.
Describe which element of your interview format is most helpful in your practice.
References
American Nurses Association. (2014). Psychiatric-mental health nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
· Standard 5C “Consultation” (page 57)
Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2014). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
· Section 5.1, “Psychiatric Interview, Mental Status Examination” (pp. 192–211)
· Section 5.2, “The Psychiatric Report and Medical Record” (pp. 211–217)
· Section 5.3, “Psychiatric Rating Scales” (pp. 217–236)
· Section 5.5, “Personality Assessment: Adults and Children” (pp. 246–257)
· Section 5.7, “Medical Assessment and Laboratory Testing in Psychiatry” (pp. 266–275)
· Chapter 6, “Classification in Psychiatry” (pp. 290–308)
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
· “Cautionary Statement for Forensic Use of DSM-5”
· “Assessment Measures”
· “Cultural Formulation”
· “Glossary of Technical Terms”
· “Glossary of Cultural Concepts of Distress”
Barton Associates. (2017). Nurse practitioner scope of practice laws. Retrieved from https://www.bartonassociates.com/locum-tenens-resources/nurse-practitioner-scope-of-practice-laws/
American Psychiatric Association. (2016). Practice guidelines for the psychiatric evaluation of adults. Retrieved from http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.books.9780890426760
Laureate Education (Producer). (2017b). Working with Adults and Older Adults” [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece 3 minutes.
Hagen, B. (Producer). (n.d.-a). Conducting a mental status exam [Video file]. Mill Valley, CA: Psychotherapy.net.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 25 minutes.
American Psychological Association. (2008). Assessment of older adults with diminished capacity. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pi/aging/programs/assessment/capacity-psychologist-handbook.pdf
Rosen, S. L., & Reuben, D. B. (2011). Geriatric assessment tools. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 78(4), 489–497. doi:10.1002/msj.20277
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2015). TIP 59: Improving cultural competence. Retrieved from http://store.samhsa.gov/product/TIP-59-Improving-Cultural-Competence/SMA15-4849
