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Questions and Answers
Which aspect of an individual's behavior does the mental status exam involve systematic observation of?
What does mood refer to in the context of the mental status exam?
What type of interview consists of carefully phrased questions to ensure consistent information elicitation?
In a clinical interview, what do clinicians estimate regarding intellectual functioning?
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What does sensorium refer to in the context of the mental status exam?
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What is the term used for overt physical behaviors noted during the mental status exam?
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What is the purpose of the MMPI built-in system?
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Which type of assessment uses direct observation to assess an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behavior in specific situations?
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Who is considered a pioneer of diagnosis in clinical psychology?
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In psychological testing, what type of tools are used to assess cognitive, emotional, or behavioral responses?
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What is the purpose of Wechsler's tests?
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Which manual includes proposed disorders like Internet Gaming Disorder and Persistent Complex Bereavement?
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What do clinicians aim to determine through the ABC's of observation?
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In what year was DSM-III published?
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Which type of test involves clients projecting their personality onto ambiguous stimuli?
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What aspect of a patient is assessed in a mental status exam?
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Which area does Neuropsychological testing NOT measure?
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Which assessment focuses on determining whether a medical condition or substance abuse situation is merely coexisting or causal?
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Study Notes
Mental Status Exam
- The mental status exam involves systematic observation of an individual's behavior, often performed quickly by experienced clinicians during interviews or observations.
- The exam consists of five components:
- Appearance and Behavior: observing overt physical behaviors, such as slow motor behavior, which may indicate severe depression.
- Thought Processes: assessing an individual's thought processes through conversation.
- Mood and Affect: distinguishing between an individual's predominant feeling state (mood) and their feeling state at a given point (affect).
- Intellectual Functioning: estimating an individual's intelligence, noting any deviations from normal.
- Sensorium: assessing an individual's general awareness of their surroundings.
Semistructured Clinical Interview
- Semistructured interviews involve carefully phrased and tested questions to elicit useful information in a consistent manner.
- This approach ensures clinicians inquire about important aspects of particular disorders.
Physical Examination
- Psychologists and mental health professionals consider medical conditions and substance abuse that may contribute to a patient's problems.
- They must determine whether a medical condition or substance abuse is merely coexisting or causal.
Behavioral Assessment
- Behavioral assessment uses direct observation to formally assess an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behavior in specific situations or contexts.
- It involves identifying target behaviors and observing the factors that influence them, using the ABC's of observation: Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequences.
Psychological Testing
- Psychological tests determine cognitive, emotional, or behavioral responses associated with specific disorders.
- They also assess longstanding personality features, such as a tendency to be suspicious.
Projective Testing
- Projective tests involve clients responding to ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots (Rorschach Inkblot Method) or interpersonal scenes (Thematic Apperception Test).
- These tests were among the first to emerge and are used to assess personality.
Personality Testing
- The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a comprehensive personality measure that detects random responding or intentionally misleading responses.
- The MMPI has become popular, with over 200 separate scales consisting of combinations of MMPI items.
Intelligence Testing
- Binet's test was intended for children, while David Wechsler's Wechsler-Bellevue test was designed for adults.
- Wechsler later created tests for school-age and preschool children, and revisions of his tests are commonly used today.
Neuropsychological Testing
- Neuropsychological testing measures abilities in areas such as receptive and expressive language, attention and concentration, memory, motor skills, perceptual abilities, and learning and abstraction.
- It helps clinicians make educated guesses about an individual's performance and possible existence of brain impairment.
Diagnosing Psychological Disorders
- Diagnosis and categorization of mental illness have been central to clinical psychology.
- Emil Kraepelin is considered a pioneer of diagnosis, coining early terms to categorize mental illness.
- The Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been revised several times, with the latest edition being DSM-5 (2013).
- Proposed disorders include Internet Gaming Disorder, Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome, Persistent Complex Bereavement, and Non-suicidal Self Injury.
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Description
Learn about the systematic observation of an individual's behavior through the mental status exam, often conducted by experienced clinicians. This exam involves assessing aspects like appearance, behavior, mood, and cognition.
