Psychiatric Interviewing and Assessment

An engaging and accessible guide to developing interpersonal clinical skills in the interviewing and assessment of psychiatric patients.

Rob Poole (Author), Robert Higgo (Author)

9781316614037, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 7 August 2017

240 pages, 2 b/w illus.
23.4 x 15.5 x 1.1 cm, 0.4 kg

Review of previous edition: 'Should be read by every psychiatrist.' David Enoch, BJPsych Bulletin (www.pb.rcpsych.org)

Interviewing and assessment are integral to the practice of psychiatry, and this book helps psychiatrists and other mental health professionals develop the skills needed to gain the right information to make diagnostic formulations and build therapeutic relationships with their patients. The text examines common dilemmas and problems in an engaging and accessible way, and the use of case studies relates the principles discussed to identifiable psychiatric settings. This new edition has been revised and expanded to reflect changes in clinical practice in recent years. New chapters have been added covering the assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders, fragmented interviews and 'impossible' clinical situations such as the assessment of intoxicated patients and rhetorical interviews. Essential reading for all mental health professionals, the practical grounding in real-world clinical experience will benefit trainee psychiatrists, experienced clinicians, nurses, social workers and physician associates.

Part I. What Am I Trying to Find Out Here?: 1. Diagnosis
2. History
3. Mental state examination and psychopathology
4. Cognitive state examination and organic disease
Part II. The Main Principles of One-to-One Interviewing: 5. Office-based psychiatric assessment
6. Understanding and managing relationships with patients
Part III. Difficult Interviews: 7. Difficulties relating to psychosis
8. Unpopular patients
Part IV. Self-Awareness: 9. Values and beliefs
10. Culture
11. Who should I be?
Part V. Complicated Interviews: 12. Interviewing with other team members
13. Interviewing families and other informants
14. In the community
15. Fragmented interviewing and assessment
16. 'Impossible' assessments
Part VI. Developmental Assessments: 17. Neurodevelopmental assessment
18. Personality
Part VII. Drawing it All Together: 19. Risk and safety
20. Record keeping and reports.

Subject Areas: Psychiatry [MMH]