Short course
1.2
Psychiatric assessment
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MHIC 1.2-->
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| Use the setting
| The setting within the community provides information not available in an office or clinic assessment. |
| | Home visits can reveal much about the patient's social supports, coping skills (eg, observe evidence of neglect, obsession, or mania), habits and obsessions (eg, reading material, writings, items on display). |
| | It is important to interview and assess the people around the patient (family, friends or acquaintances). |
| | Assessments can be conducted by telephone; if so, attempt to discuss the patient's mental state with someone else in the house if possible. |
| For effective assessment and follow-up, it is important to work with other services and mental health professionals, such as community mental health care teams (see short course 2).
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