Promoting Mental Health | Assignment

Promoting Mental Health
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Table of Contents
Answer 1....................................................................................................................................3
Answer 2....................................................................................................................................4
Answer 3....................................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................7
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Answer 1
Lucinda Okiro visited perinatal mental health service for her mental health assessment as she
was referred for urgent appointment by her midwife at her antenatal clinic. With the help of
Mental Status Examination (MSE), comprehensive cross-sectional description of the mental
state of the patient will be determined which will then be combined with the biographic and
historical information of the psychiatric history and allows the clinician to make accurate
diagnosis and formulation. The MSE provides a framework through which, mental status of
the patient could easily be determined (Potter, 2019).
Appearance - The appearance of the patient may provide some clues regarding their lifestyle
and ability to self-care. It includes various features such as distinctive features, clothing,
posture or gait, grooming or hygiene and evidence of self-harm.
When Lucinda visited prenatal mental health service for mental health assessment, she came
along with her daughter Emily, who was only 8 months old. However, both were well-
groomed, her daughter was wearing a short-sleeved onesie despite cold day out there. It
showed that she was unable to take good care of Emily due to her mental condition. Lucinda
complained that she feels frightened and was very unhappy to know about her second
pregnancy, which might be because of her previous pregnancy experience (Potter, 2019).
Mood - It refers to a sustained state of the inner feelings of a patient. In order to explore it
more, some questions need to be asked to the patient such as, in the case of Lucinda, she is
feeling frightened and unhappy to know about her pregnancy. She was just 22 when she gave
birth to Emily and was not physically ready to take care of a child. She went through a lot of
stress and now, when she knew about second pregnancy, she is really scared about the same
and starts feeling anxious and has trouble in breathing (Potter, 2019).
Through Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of mental disorders, mental disorders
could be classified and serves as a historically determined cognitive plan imposed on clinical
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