Week 2 Discussion: PTSD Checklist (PCL)
The psychiatric interview is composed of many important components, but the three elements that I consider to be extremely important for the interview process include, obtaining the history of the present illness, determining if the patient has a previous psychiatric history and the mental status examination. I believe these three components assist the most in the overall assessment of the patient’s current mental illness. By obtaining the history of the present illness, one is obtaining information regarding the reason the patient is specifically presenting for this evaluation and is prominent in determining the chief complaint (American Psychiatric Association, 2016, pp. 4). The next component I chose is the psychiatric history. This is important in determining whether the patient has a history of a psychiatric illness or a history of any psychiatric treatment and how compliant they were with their treatment (American Psychiatric Association, 2016, pp. 4). By obtaining this information, it might help give some insight into the patient’s current condition. The third component that I chose was the mental status examination. This is important because it examines the patient’s current mental status, if they are presenting with any gait disturbances, involuntary movements, any hallucinations or delusions, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, and their current mood such as any levels of anxiety or aggression (American Psychiatric Association, 2016, pp. 6). The mental status examination is important in assessing the patient’s current signs and symptoms and can assist with diagnosis and treatment.
