Assessment and Diagnosis of the Psychiatric Patient

A sensitively crafted intake assessment can be a powerful therapeutic tool. It can establish rapport between patient and therapist, further the therapeutic alliance, alleviate anxiety, provide reassurance, and facilitate the flow of information necessary for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan.
—Pamela Bjorklund, clinical psychologist
Whether you are treating patients for physical ailments or clients for mental health issues, the assessment process is an inextricable part of health care. To properly diagnose clients and develop treatment plans, you must have a strong foundation in assessment. This includes a working knowledge of assessments that are available to aid in diagnosis, how to use these assessments, and how to select the most appropriate assessment based on a client’s presentation
Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales
Assessment tools have two primary purposes: 1) to measure illness and diagnose clients, and 2) to measure a client’s response to treatment. Often, you will find that multiple assessment tools are designed to measure the same condition or response. Not all tools, however, are appropriate for use in all clinical situations. You must consider the strengths and weaknesses of each tool to select the appropriate assessment tool for your client. For this Discussion, as you examine the assessment tool assigned to you by the Course Instructor, consider its use in psychotherapy.
To Prepare:
• Review this week's Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide regarding psychiatric assessment and diagnosis.
• Consider the elements of the psychiatric interview, history, and examination.
• Consider the assessment tool assigned to you by the Course Instructor.
For the discussion
Post a brief explanation of three important components of the psychiatric interview and why you consider these elements important. Explain the psychometric properties of the rating scale you were assigned (Simpson-Angus Extrapramidal Symptom Rating Scale). Explain when it is appropriate to use this rating scale with clients during the psychiatric interview and how the scale is helpful to a nurse practitioner’s psychiatric assessment. Support your approach with evidence-based literature.

1. Include a brief introduction and purpose statement.
2. End the main post with brief summary.
3. You must use at least 5 peer reviews resources for you work
4. Support you work with peer reviewed journals published within the last 5 years. You may use your textbooks and original authors research but these do not count toward the required number of peer reviewed journal. DO NOT use websites. Websites do not represent scholarly work and many of these are consumer/patient driven.
5. Do not use direct quotes. Synthesis is required, when you use direct quotes you demonstrate the knowledge of the original authors not your own.