When conducting a psychiatric evaluation, screening physical health is crucial for the effective diagnosis and treatment of patients. Poor physical health can lead to an increased risk of developing mental health problems, while poor mental health can negatively impact physical health. By asking the right questions, PMHNPs can better understand their patients’ mental and physical health, leading to more effective diagnosis and treatment. Asking questions about well-being or ill-being allows the PMHNP to assess the patient’s quality of life, feelings of anxiety, distress, motivation, and energy. Additionally, questions about safety should be included to ensure the patient’s safety and well-being.
Below, we will examine the questions to ask when screening physical health in psychiatric evaluation and assessing a patient’s well-being or ill-being.
Screening Physical Health:
The PMHNP should screen the patient’s physical health by asking questions about their health concerns, sleeping habits, appetite, and eating habits. This is important because poor physical health can lead to an increased risk of developing mental health problems, and poor mental health can negatively impact physical health. Furthermore, some physical diseases are linked to psychotropic treatment. Thus, it is essential to ask questions such as “What health concerns do you have?” “How are your sleeping habits over the past 4 weeks?” “Have you noticed any changes, difficulty sleeping?” “How would you describe your current appetite?” and “Have your eating habits altered in any way?”
Assessing Well-being or Ill-being:
The PMHNP should also ask questions about the patient’s well-being or ill-being. This will allow them to assess the patient’s quality of life, feelings of anxiety, distress, motivation, and energy. Sample questions could include “Have you had little pleasure or interest in the activities you usually enjoy over the past few months?” and “Have you been concerned by low feelings, stress, sadness, and nervousness?”
Ensuring Safety:
As safety is a priority for the provider, questions about suicide, self-harm, homicide, domestic violence, and abuse must be included in the interview. Inquiring about any previous suicide attempts, self-harm, or thoughts of harming themselves or others is essential. If necessary, the provider should take steps to ensure the patient’s safety and involve other healthcare professionals in the patient’s care plan.
Relationships and Belonging:
Finally, the PMHNP should ask questions about the patient’s relationships and sense of belonging. This will allow them to understand the patient’s feelings and beliefs about their society and environment, to know if they feel accepted, supported, and possess meaningful relationships. Possible questions that can be asked include “Do you have friends, family, or otherwise?” “How do you feel about others around you?” and “Tell me about how you have been feeling about your relationships recently.”