Briefly explain three important components of the psychiatric interview and why you consider these elements important. Explain the psychometric properties of the rating scale you were assigned. Explain when it is appropriate to use this rating scale with clients during the psychiatric interview and how the scale is helpful to a nurse practitioner’s psychiatric assessment. Support your approach with evidence-based literature.

The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

The psychiatric interview, history, and examination are important components of a detailed psychiatric assessment. Three important elements of a psychiatric interview include establishing rapport, obtaining a thorough history, and conducting a mental status examination (Wand et al., 2020). Firstly, building rapport with the client builds trust and open communication. Furthermore, it facilitates a precise evaluation. Nurse practitioners can create a safe space for patients to share their worries and experiences. Secondly, obtaining a thorough history is crucial as it provides valuable information about the client’s background, medical history, psychiatric symptoms, and psychosocial stressors. Such a history helps arrive at a diagnosis and develop an appropriate management plan (Maj et al., 2021). Thirdly, conducting a mental status examination helps to determine the client’s current mental state and the presence of any psychiatric disorders.

One assessment tool used during psychiatric interviews is the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). This is a self-report questionnaire that assesses the severity of symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and comprises seven items scored on a scale of 0 to 3. The higher the scores, the more severe the symptoms. The psychometric properties of GAD-7 demonstrate good internal consistency, convergent validity, and reliability compared to other anxiety scales (Pagan-Torres et al., 2020). It is appropriate to use the GAD-7 rating scale with clients when assessing for generalized anxiety disorder. The scale helps identify the presence and severity of anxiety symptoms. It also helps in diagnosis and management planning. Moreover, it enables monitoring of treatment progress over time by comparing scores from different assessments.

In conclusion, the psychiatric interview, history, and examination are essential for a detailed psychiatric assessment. Building rapport, mental status examination, and obtaining a thorough history are key elements of the interview process. Further, the GAD-7 rating scale is a valuable tool for assessing generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Nurse practitioners can gather comprehensive information, make accurate diagnoses, and develop appropriate management plans. Consequently, this will support their clients’ mental health and well-being.

References

Maj, M., van Os, J., De Hert, M., Gaebel, W., Galderisi, S., Green, M. F., … & Ventura, J. (2021). The clinical characterization of the patient with primary psychosis is aimed at personalization of management. World Psychiatry, 20(1), 4-33. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20809

Pagán-Torres, O., González-Rivera, J. A., & Rosario-Hernández, E. (2020). Reviewing the psychometric properties and factor structure of Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) in a sample of Puerto Rican adults. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research, 11(1), 36885-36888. http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijrsr.2020.1101.5017