Nurs 6635 Assignment: Getting Started With The DSM 5 Tri

Nurs 6635 Assignmentgetting Started With The DSM 5 Trif You Were To Gi

NURS 6635 Assignment Getting Started With The DSM-5-TR If you were to give a box of 100 different photographs to 10 people and ask them to sort them into groups, it is very unlikely that all 10 people would sort them into the exact same groups. However, if you were to give them a series of questions or a classification system to use, the chances that all 10 people sort them exactly the same increases depending on the specificity of the system and the knowledge of those sorting the photographs. This is not unlike what has occurred in the process of classifying mental disorders. A system that provides enough specificity to appropriately classify a large variety of mental disorders while also attempting to include all of the possible symptoms, many of which can change over time, is a daunting task when used by a variety of specialists, doctors, and other professionals with varied experience, cultures, expertise, and beliefs.

The DSM has undergone many transformations since it was first published in 1952. Many of these changes occurred because the uses for the DSM changed. However, the greatest changes began with the use of extensive empirical research to guide the creation of the classification system and its continued revisions. In order to assess and diagnose patients, you must learn to use the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, usually abbreviated as the DSM-5-TR, to render a diagnosis. In this second week of the course, you will examine how DSM-5-TR is organized and how clinicians use it to render diagnoses.

Review the Learning Resources this week, with special emphasis on viewing the Diagnostic Criteria video. This video explains the purpose and organization of the DSM-5-TR classification system, the purpose of the ICD-10 coding system, their relationship to one another, and the importance to the PMHNP role. Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales Assessment tools have two primary purposes: 1) to measure illness and diagnose clients, and 2) to measure a client’s response to treatment. Often, you will find that multiple assessment tools are designed to measure the same condition or response. Not all tools, however, are appropriate for use in all clinical situations.

You must consider the strengths and weaknesses of each tool to select the appropriate assessment tool for your client. For this Discussion, as you examine the assessment tool assigned to you by the Course Instructor, consider its use in psychotherapy. To Prepare: · Review this week's Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide regarding psychiatric assessment and diagnosis. · Consider the elements of the psychiatric interview, history, and examination. · Consider the assessment tool assigned to you by the Course Instructor.

Paper For Above instruction

The psychiatric interview is a cornerstone of mental health assessment, providing critical insights into the patient's mental state, history, and environment. Three important components of the psychiatric interview include the rapport-building phase, symptom assessment, and mental status examination, each playing a pivotal role in accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

Rapport Building is the initial phase of the psychiatric interview where establishing trust and a comfortable environment encourages openness. A clinician's empathetic attitude, active listening skills, and respect for the patient's cultural background foster rapport (Carlat, 2017). Building rapport is essential because it influences the patient's willingness to disclose sensitive information, which is crucial for an accurate assessment. Research indicates that a strong therapeutic alliance correlates positively with treatment adherence and outcomes (Hall et al., 2014).

Symptom Assessment involves systematically exploring the patient's presenting complaints, history of symptoms, and their impact on functioning. This component requires the clinician to utilize structured or semi-structured questions to elicit detailed information about mood, thought processes, perceptions, and behaviors. Accurate symptom assessment relies on clinician skill and patient honesty, making it vital in forming differential diagnoses. Established questionnaires or rating scales often complement this phase to quantify symptom severity (Sadock et al., 2015).

Mental Status Examination (MSE) is an organized way to evaluate the patient's current cognitive, emotional, and behavioral state. It includes assessments of appearance, behavior, speech, mood, thought content, perception, cognition, and insight. The MSE provides a snapshot of the mental state, aiding in detecting possible disorders like mood disorders, psychosis, or cognitive impairments (Wolters Kluwer, 2017). The structured approach of the MSE enhances reliability and validity across different clinicians and settings.

The rating scale assigned for this discussion was the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). This self-administered instrument measures the severity of depression, consisting of nine items aligned with DSM-5 criteria for major depressive disorder. Its psychometric properties include high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.80) and good convergent validity with clinical diagnoses (Kroenke et al., 2001). The PHQ-9 is quick to administer, cost-effective, and suitable for use during initial psychiatric evaluations and follow-up assessments.

Using the PHQ-9 during a psychiatric interview is appropriate when depression is a suspected diagnosis based on presenting symptoms such as persistent sadness, anhedonia, and sleep disturbances. Its scoring helps clinicians quantify symptom severity, monitor changes over time, and evaluate treatment response. The scale's brevity and reliability make it a helpful tool for nurse practitioners, especially in primary care settings, to identify depression early and tailor interventions accordingly (Spitzer et al., 1992).

In clinical practice, integrating the PHQ-9 into the assessment process streamlines diagnosis, facilitates communication with patients about symptom burden, and supports evidence-based decision-making. Its standardization reduces subjectivity inherent in clinical judgment and provides a universal measure for tracking patient progress. As part of a comprehensive psychiatric assessment, the PHQ-9 enhances diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning.

References

• Carlat, D. J. (2017). The psychiatric interview (4th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
• Hall, A. M., et al. (2014). The therapeutic alliance in psychiatric treatment. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70(10), 985–997.
• Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613.
• Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
• Spitzer, R. L., et al. (1992). The impact of primary care physicians’ use of a depression questionnaire on depression management. Archives of Family Medicine, 1(4), 367–373.
• Wolters Kluwer. (2017). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry. 11th Ed.