Running Head: COMPLETE PSYCHIATRIC EXAMINATION ON AN ADULT PATIENT 1

Complete Psychiatric Examination on an Adult Patient

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COMPLETE PSYCHIATRIC EXAMINATION ON AN ADULT PATIENT 2

Complete Psychiatric Examination on an Adult Patient

The goal of a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation is to determine if a mental disorder

that requires the attention of a psychiatrist exists. The subject evaluates a Native American man

who came in with his older brother complaining of hallucinations, delusions, and incoherent

speech and got admitted involuntarily. This knowledge allowed me to take a break from

answering inquiries about an adult's psychological evaluation. What, for example, is involved in

a patient's assessment when they appear with complaints about mental illnesses?

In most cases, a vital component of a psychiatric evaluation is an interview with the

patient (Pettersson et al., 2018). Interview-based data is combined with information obtained

from other evaluation components, such as checking medical records, performing a physical

examination, conducting diagnostic assessments, and gathering information from indemnity

sources. According to my understanding, a psychiatric evaluation takes a long time to complete.

A thorough medical, physical, and history examination is part of the assessment process.

Although no laboratory tests accurately diagnose the patient's illness, different diagnostic

methods, such as an MRI scan, can be used (Low, Bentley & Ghosh, 2020).

During the psychiatric evaluation, I find it easy to carry out a mental status examination

since it has a well laid out procedure compared to making a medical diagnosis. This involves

setting a conducive environment, assessing physical appearance, behavior, patient speech,

perceptions, thought content and processes, insight, suicide and even overvalued ideas. The

major challenge is making a single definitive diagnosis for a psychotic disorder since most of the

symptoms overlap across the mental disorders. However, the aid of my preceptor who is a

psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, allowing me to review patients first or at times

jointly has increased my confidence and precision of making a better multi-axial diagnosis. For
COMPLETE PSYCHIATRIC EXAMINATION ON AN ADULT PATIENT 3

instance, when making a diagnosis of a major depressive disorder, how to distinguish it from

bipolar I, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, and borderline personality disorder has been

instrumental.

Learning goals

Description

The main goal of the clinical experience for the unit was to learn how to conduct a

comprehensive mental status examination for an adult. A step-to-step approach in assessing the

patient physical appearance, behavior, mental processes, speech, perceptions, and insight play a

critical role in determining the underlying mental disorder. The new knowledge and information

I've gained from my clinical experience will be critical in my day-to-day evaluation while

working with patients. The understanding of the patient presenting signs and symptoms is

essential in distinguishing whether they are related to drug treatment or from mental ailments.

This distinction guides in providing health education to the family and the patient.

Academic resources

Academic literature like "Automated assessment of psychiatric illnesses using speech: A

systematic review" helped me understand how automated assessment can be utilized to identify

psychotic diseases using speech. In this academic source, I came across several noteworthy

findings. For instance, due to the multiple challenges to getting mental health assessments, it

may be necessary to explore employing machine-learning technologies based on voice samples

gathered in the clinic to help overcome barriers such as stigma, a lack of motivation, and fear of

unpleasant feelings. The other technological advancement in the use of an automated machine is

the adoption of virtual reality in the treatment of mental illnesses.

Informed knowledge
COMPLETE PSYCHIATRIC EXAMINATION ON AN ADULT PATIENT 4

Informed information about the integration of virtual reality in the treatment of

psychiatric disorders has a remarkable impact on psychiatric patients(Maples-Keller et al., 2017).

It involves the creation of a real scene and the person experiencing a particular simulation of the

undesirable trait. It tends to provide a therapeutic effect through continued desensitization of

unwanted stimuli. It is critical among patients with fears and phobias such as agoraphobia,

achluophobia, agoraphobia, and other conditions.

Education

With the knowledge I gained during my clinical practice, I now have a broad

understanding of how to educate my patients while doing a psychiatric evaluation. I have

understood how to integrate classroom knowledge into practice. Besides, learning through

clinical experiences for cases that you competently managed or flaws made improved my

learning. For instance, it is critical to ensure that the patient receives the treatment prescribed and

that family members communicate with one another in order to support the patient and this is

termed as milieu therapy.

Challenges

Cost, lack of desire, fear of uncomfortable sensations, stigma, pessimistic perception of

therapy, a mismatch between therapy and needs, time limits, restrictions to access, and

availability of providers are all apparent barriers to getting mental health examinations.

Furthermore, there are other problems, such as non-adherence in treatments, which I have

personally experienced. For example, non-compliance can often be caused by a lack of familial

support and this usually causes remission of the psychiatric symptoms. As a result,

multidisciplinary collaboration with various health practitioners will reduce some of the

challenges.
COMPLETE PSYCHIATRIC EXAMINATION ON AN ADULT PATIENT 5

References

Low, D. M., Bentley, K. H., & Ghosh, S. S. (2020). Automated assessment of psychiatric

disorders using speech: A systematic review. Laryngoscope Investigative

Otolaryngology, 5(1), 96-116. DOI: 10.1002/lio2.354

Maples-Keller, J. L., Bunnell, B. E., Kim, S. J., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2017). The use of virtual

reality technology in the treatment of anxiety and other psychiatric disorders. Harvard

Review of Psychiatry, 25(3), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1097/HRP.0000000000000138

Semahegn, A., Torpey, K., Manu, A., Assefa, N., Tesfaye, G., & Ankomah, A. (2018).

Psychotropic medication non-adherence and associated factors among adult patients with

major psychiatric disorders: a protocol for a systematic review. Systematic reviews, 7(1),

1-5. DOI:10.1186/s13643-020-1274-3

Pettersson, A., Modin, S., Wahlström, R., af Winklerfelt Hammarberg, S., & Krakau, I. (2018).

The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview is useful and well accepted as part of

the clinical assessment for depression and anxiety in primary care: a mixed-methods

study. BMC family practice, 19(1), 1-13. doi: 10.1186/s12875-017-0674-5