Mental Assessment
Initial Post
Please view and select one of the patients depicted in the following videos. Both patients have different diagnoses and presentations—the diagnosis is apparent from the titles and not the focus of the assignment.
The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate the patient and write up a mental status exam on what you observe in the video that you choose.
Your initial post should identify which video you have chosen and should include a detailed mental status exam write-up of that patient. The intent of this exercise is to help you to develop your skills in the assessment of a patient’s mental status and documentation of the mental status exam. Make sure you know the components of a thorough mental status exam prior to completing this assignment. Your texts have many good examples.
Videos to Watch
Please watch the following video clips and write up a mental status of the patients:
· Nathan, Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent Episode, Severe, Depression Assessment (17:27 minutes)
o Nathan, Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent Episode, Severe, Depression Assessment Video Transcript
· Mania (4:20 minutes)
o Mania Video Transcript
Mental Assessment: Nathan, Major Depressive Disorder
Upon reviewing the video titled “Nathan, Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent Episode, Severe, Depression Assessment (17:27 minutes),” I have completed the following mental status exam of the patient Nathan:
Appearance and Behavior: Nathan appears disheveled, with unkempt hair and wrinkled clothing. His psychomotor movements are slowed, and he makes little eye contact. His speech is soft and slow. He displays a depressed mood and flat affect.
Thought Process and Content: Nathan’s thought process is coherent but slowed. He reports feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation without plan or intent. No evidence of hallucinations or delusions.
Cognition: Nathan is oriented to person, place, time and situation. His attention, concentration, memory, and fund of knowledge appear intact, though he reports difficulty with these areas due to depression.
Insight and Judgment: Nathan acknowledges he has a mental illness and needs treatment. He understands the risks of his suicidal thoughts and wants help managing them. His judgment regarding daily living and safety appears impaired by depression.
Based on these observations, Nathan appears to be experiencing a severe major depressive episode characterized by depressed mood, psychomotor retardation, suicidal ideation, and impaired functioning. His symptoms meet DSM-5 criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent Episode, Severe (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Works Cited
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Gelenberg, A. J. (2010). The medical management of depression. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 71(8), e15. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.9065se1c.02gry
Kennedy, S. H., & Rizvi, S. (2009). Sexual dysfunction, depression, and the impact of antidepressants. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 29(2), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0b013e31819978cf
Rush, A. J., Trivedi, M. H., Wisniewski, S. R., Nierenberg, A. A., Stewart, J. W., Warden, D., … Fava, M. (2006). Acute and longer-term outcomes in depressed outpatients requiring one or several treatment steps: A STAR*D report. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(11), 1905–1917. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.11.1905
