Psychosis a Case Study And Question Answer

Running head: PSYCHOSIS: A CASE STUDY
Assessment of psychosis
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

PSYCHOSIS: A CASE STUDY1
Q1) Define mental state examination. When is it to be used? Why is it a useful tool in
nursing and midwifery practices?
The mental state examination (MSE) is a medical evaluation system which
investigates the patient’s rational function and behavioural traits in a structured manner to
detect clinical mental disorders such as psychosis, anxiety, depression and others (Townsend
and Morgan 2017).
Mental state examination reports the patient’s medical history, instances of substance
abuse and psychological findings such as depression or anxiety for better diagnosis and
accurate treatment plan (Fernando and Carter 2016).
This test is useful to obtain information of the patient’s mental capacity to enable
nursing experts to develop a patient-centred treatment plan according to the insights
perceived based on the patient’s speech, cognitive state, appearance and thought-process
(Townsend and Morgan 2017).
Q2) Describe Andy’s appearance and behaviour during the initial assessment?
His attire displayed no significant abnormality and looked appropriate. His personal
hygiene looked considerable with some unshaved beard on his face. Andy’s behaviour
seemed distraught and with frequent fidgets and glances around the room. He made minimal
eye contact with Dr Taylor during the conversation throughout the assessment. He was
disturbed with his present condition and suspected his housemates for this scenario. No
significant aggression in any form was observed in his behaviour and seemed quite calm. His
motor movements were low with suppressed arousal. Besides, his attitude towards the
psychiatrist was collaborative to resolve his disturbance. He was unaware of his mental

PSYCHOSIS: A CASE STUDY2
illness and considered himself fit. Andy’s speech lacked clarity in most of his answers and
was challenging to understand.
Q3) What is the difference between mood and affect? Discuss affect in regard to Andy.
Mood refers is a reflection of an individual’s perception of their present emotional
status and may persist for an extended duration. On the other hand, affect is the phenomenal
experience of emotion and can be observed by the psychiatrist (Luong et al. 2016).
Frequently, the mood of a person may not be congruent with their affect. Andy reflected a
gloomy affect full of anxiety which persisted throughout the session. Also, he looked
dejected and utterly miserable.
Q4) Discuss Andy’s speech.
Andy’s speech lacked clarity and was low in tempo. The rate of his speech was slow
and the fluency was slurred. The content of the speech depicted significant disturbance of
meaning. He spoke very less, only answering the questions addressed to him. However, he
made considerable efforts to explain his viewpoints to Dr Taylor.
Q5) Describe the signs and symptoms associated with psychosis which can be identified
in the interview?
Andy experienced auditory hallucinations as per his statement of continuous
background conversations. His thoughts express delusions and he is losing touch with reality.
Andy imagines a chip planted inside his mind by his housemates who were working for MI5.
He also considered committing suicide to eliminate background noises. These symptoms
imply a psychotic disorder in Andy (Kjelby et al. 2015).
Q6) What tests might Dr Taylor request at the end of the interview with Andy and how
are these tests important in context with psychosis?