Assessment Task 1: Nursing | Mental State Examination Workbook

Assessment Task 1: Nursing
Mental State Examination Workbook
50 Marks (1500 words)
Due Date: Friday, April 3, 2020 (4 pm)
Description
This task provides you with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate
knowledge of processes associated with assessing a person’s mental state in
different health care contexts, and supporting the person to navigate to a place
of recovery.
Assessment Criteria
The workbook responses will be assessed according to the following criteria:
 Use of evidence to interpret and analyse the mental state
assessment, including an assessment of risk
 Interpret and use evidence to plan care to support the
mental health needs of the person in diverse health
settings
 Critical appraisal of principles of equity, rights and access
 Information literacy skills: use of sources and citations
 Written presentation including structure, grammar,
application of referencing protocol Harvard
Workbook Format
The workbook contains 10 questions about mental health assessment, and
strategies to work with people with mental illness. You must adhere to the word
limit provided for each response.
Workbook Instructions
Nursing and Midwifery students: Watch the video titled “Psychiatric
Interviews for Teaching: Mania” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time_continue=6&v=zA-fqvC02oM&feature=emb_title)
 Answer each question in the workbook template. Please
ensure that you include both the question and its
accompanying answer.
 You are required to respond to the questions in your own
words. You may use direct quotes from the video (i.e. the
person’s statement may be quoted as long as it is

relevant, fits into your word count and helps to explain
your application of theoretical understanding to the
practice video).
 Each question includes a guide for the maximum number
of words expected for the response. Keep within this word
limit, although there is a +/- 10% leeway provided.
Supporting literature to answer the questions:
You need to demonstrate you have used the most appropriate source
for your responses e.g. policy documents, journal article, textbook etc.
Not all the answers require a citation, however you are expected to use a variety
of sources eg textbook, journal articles, credible websites etc.
Academic sources should be published within the last 5 years.
Reference List:
At the end of the paper you need to provide the full reference details of each
citation (reference) you have used in your responses. You are asked to use the
Harvard Referencing style.
The completed workbook assignment will contribute to 50% of your overall
grade mark and is due to be submitted through SafeAssign.
Assessment Task 1: Workbook 50%
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=zA-
fqvC02oM&feature=emb_title
1. Define the mental state assessment, describe when it is to
be used and describe why it is a useful tool for nursing or
midwifery practice (max 100 words) 5 marks
Answer-
Mental state assessment is a process of describing and observing a
person’s or any patient’s actions and function at a precise point of time in an
essential mode. It is generally used in the diagnosis and measuring of mental
health illness such as psychotic illness, depression state, bipolar disorder and
psychiatric mania (Grossman and Irwin 2016).
The test done for obtaining detailed information about an individual’s
mental condition. The findings of the report gathered are usually combined with
the patient’s history to carry out the treatment plan. The test is generally
conducted by verbal communication for the time period of 30 to 90 minutes
(Voss and Das 2019).
The test is helpful for nursing practice as it helps in gaining a complete
information about the patients function and psychological state which in turn
helps in treatment preparation for the patient reliant upon the relentlessness of
the condition.

2. Describe John’s appearance and behaviour during the
initial assessment (100 words) 3 marks
Answer-
The patient during the preliminary assessment with the psychiatrist was very
cooperative and wanted to share the topic of research about cancer with the
psychiatrist. The patient have a sense of deep believe that he is fantastic and is
also much engaged with his work. The patient sometimes lacked eye contract
with the psychiatrist and highly obsessed with numbers along with his believes
that he will find out way to cure cancer. He was also hyperactive about his
activity, invincible. The patients memory was sharp as well as he corrected and
instructed the psychiatrist about the hearing process. The patient was highly
talkative and was having racing thoughts (University of Nottingham, 2012).
3. Differentiate between mood and affect, and then describe
affect as it relates to John (max 100 words) 3 marks
Answer-
The mood is an emotional feeling, which rises from a particular stimulus; it
is referred as depression, euphoric, irritated and angry by which a person’s
behaviour can be judged. The affect is a display of emotional state that rises
from the mood. The affect has various types such as inconsistent with
developing idea, speech or thought, blunted affect, absence of emotional state
and rapid changes of thoughts. Mood stays in a person’s behaviour for a longer
period of time whereas affect lasts for shorter period (Tang and Pinsky 2015).
The person John showed all signs and symptoms of affect along with his
excitement emotion. The person tried to describe about his ideas with altered
body movements and facial expressions. The patient also stated that he hears
voice from which gives him confidence and new ideas (University of Nottingham,
2012). He has symptoms of manic disorder like delusions, auditory
hallucinations, disinhibition, and pressure of speech.
4. Discuss John’s speech (max 100 words) 3 marks
Answer-
The patient John was very cooperative with the psychiatrist during the
initial process. The speech was in abit-pressurized form and was talkative as
well. He shared that he calculates numbers and his ideas are fantastic in curing
cancer. He has thought disorder, which is identified when name was asked. He
could hear voices from God who always complemented him as fantastic. The
patient also stated that his family was not clever like him. He wanted to discuss
about his ideas and was very enthusiastic with different activities. He also spoke
that he was so busy with work that he could not sleep for many days. He also
corrected the doctor about the hearing process and believed that he is well
informed about things. He also enlightens the fact the he has no physical
problem and is not under any medications (University of Nottingham, 2012).