Place Of Mental Status Assessment In An Overall Client Assessment

Question: Discuss about the Place Of Mental Status Assessment In An Overall Client Assessment. Answer: In conclusion, a mental status assessment plays a very significant role in the management of clients with various medical conditions. This is especially because mental diseases are associated with other physical ailments. Loss of muscle mass for instance, may be associated with an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa The place of a mental status assessment in an overall client assessment cannot be over-emphasized regardless of the medical condition that is in question. The health of the mind is paramount to the overall health of the clients, their belief systems and ways of life. A mental status examination also aids in assessing a clients judgment and thought about their own health. By performing a mental status assessment, the medical professional is able to find avenues of client health that need attention. The medical professional can then give medical advice as needed to aid in improving the clients overall health through appropriate health education. In addition to representing a clients health state and creating avenues for improvement of the clients health state, it enables prompt diagnosis of psychiatric ailments such as depression. Depression has been a cause of many suicide cases. By undergoing a mental status examination, medical professionals can identify such conditions early and manage them hence saving the life of the patients(Sheila, 2011). In this regard, the overall health of the patient will be maintained in the long run. A mental status assessment also gives the examination to identify any disorders related to the client mood and thought processes that would interfere with activities of daily living. Mental disorders such as stress can hinder the activity of the immune system, cardiovascular, respiratory and even muscular systems. Early assessment through performing a mental status examination aids in avoiding such deleterious conditions from emanating and according sufficient management if they exist. A mental status assessment plays a very crucial role to the overall physiological process of the body. The processes that occur in the brain are associated with many processes in the body. A healthy brain is a healthy body, therefore, mental status assessments should be taken with utmost seriousness. References Brunner, L. S. (2010).Brunner Suddarth's textbook of medical-surgical nursing(Vol. 1). Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Gibson, J., McKenzie?McHarg, K., Shakespeare, J., Price, J., Gray, R. (2009). A systematic review of studies validating the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in antepartum and postpartum women.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica,119(5), 350-364. Halter, M. J. (2017).Varcarolis' Foundations of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing-E-Book: A Clinical Approach. Elsevier Health Sciences. O'hara, M. W., McCabe, J. E. (2013). Postpartum depression: current status and future directions.Annual review of clinical psychology,9, 379-407. Schulz, R., Sherwood, P. R. (2008). Physical and mental health effects of family caregiving.Journal of Social Work Education,44(sup3), 105-113. Shives, L. R. (2008).Basic concepts of psychiatric-mental health nursing. Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Townsend, M. C. (2013).Essentials of psychiatric mental health nursing: Concepts of care in evidence-based practice. FA Davis. Videbeck, S., Videbeck, S. (2013).Psychiatric-mental health nursing. Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Qiu, W. Q., Dean, M., Liu, T., George, L., Gann, M., Cohen, J., Bruce, M. L. (2010). Physical and mental health of homebound older adults: an overlooked population.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,58(12), 2423-2428. Wright, A. A., Zhang, B., Ray, A., Mack, J. W., Trice, E., Balboni, T., ... Prigerson, H. G. (2008). Associations between end-of-life discussions, patient mental health, medical care near death, and caregiver bereavement adjustment.Jama,300(14), 1665-1673.